Clean
by Jenasys Loveless Lovecraft
Summary: Dean escapes purgatory without Cas, he and Sam find themselves mixed up with the Walking Dead group. They try to carry on with their mission of shutting the gates of hell with added problems and faces from the past. Pairings: Caryl/Destiel Rated T for now...
1. Hell Frozen Rain

**Chapter One-Hell Frozen Rain**

"_**There is a moment in time**_

_**When all the cards that you've played divide"**_

* * *

"That's your daughter!" Carol screamed at her husband as Shane, Glenn and Daryl ran into the woods behind Rick. "Why don't you do something!?" Lori's arms were locked tightly around her waist but she fought against her friend anyway.

Ed glared at her. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on her, this is your fault. You fix it," he spat. He took a menacing step toward her causing Andrea to step in.

"Alright, Ed, back off," she snapped, pushing him back. After their encounter at the quarry she'd had about all she could take of him. He'd been in his tent when the walkers came upon them. Amy's screams had alerted them and Ed managed to squirm away from the walker trying to get into his tent.

Now when Andrea looked at him she felt a surge of hate and disgust. Why did this wife-beating moron get to keep his miserable life and her sister had to lose hers?

The man slapped Andrea's hand away from him. "Don't you touch me, you fucking cunt. Too bad it was Amy and not you. She was the sweet one."

Fury surged within her again, just as she leaped toward him with an angry growl two arms locked around her waist. T-Dog was pulling her back while Dale suggested Ed take a walk.

"Yeah I think I'll do that." He turned to walk the highway between the cars. "Rather be around walkers than these weeping cunts."

Andrea lunged again but T-Dog was ready for her.

"Just calm down now, Andrea," he said evenly. Rubbing her arms so she'd calm down.

"I hate that man," she said under her breath. He nodded in agreement, though she didn't see. Her eyes boring holes into Ed's back. The sound of Carol's sobbing snapped her back to reality. She rushed to her friend's side. "Carol, honey. It's gonna be okay."

Carol shook her head, her eyes never leaving the tree line. "You don't know that, you can't possibly know that." She wiped her eyes and snuck a glance at Ed. Her next words were whispered "He's right. It was my fault. I should have kept her closer, I should have-"

"Stop it," Lori cut her off. "If anything it's my fault, you tried to get to her but I held you back."

"Then Carol would have been walker bait," Andrea interjected. "Lori, you did the right thing keeping her back. Things would be way worse for us all." She imagined that Carol out in the open when the herd approached would have cost them many lives.

Carol sniffed again. Her blue eyes wet with tears. "If only I'd have-"

Andrea cut her off this time. "Stop this. Thinking of all the things you could have done won't change anything."

"If anything happens to her, it'll be my fault," Carol said, continuing as if she hadn't heard.

Now, Andrea stepped in front of her and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Hey," she said, giving Carol a shake. "Listen to me, they're gonna find her." Carol opened her mouth and Andrea went on. "Don't forget, that's Daryl out there, trust me. They'll find her."

Carol smiled a little then. "Yeah, I guess." Daryl being out there helped ease her worry just a little. He knew the woods better than anyone.

Andrea rubbed her shoulders and sat back on the guardrail. Lori gave her a smile, a silent thank you. Andrea nodded in response with a small smile of her own. With a sigh, she looked over the group. Dale, tinkering around in front of the RV pretending he wasn't listening to the women's conversation. T-Dog hovering protectively behind Carol in case Ed should start something else. Though Ed was several yards away from them, Andrea was keeping tabs on where he was. Carl was between two cars, playing with something he'd found.

Branches snapped and leaves rustled in the woods, everyone spun around, instantly on alert. Shane and Glenn emerged with no sign of the two other men.

"Where's Rick?" Lori called.

Shane waited until he reached the highway to answer. "He and Daryl are on her trail, they're gonna keep looking. Sent us back so Daryl could work easier." He started handing out various orders to keep everyone busy. He asked Carol to keep scavenging cars.

"Shane," Lori whispered, with a shake of her head. He looked from her to Carol, his tongue peeking out as he licked his lips. With a shrug, he gave out a few more orders and everyone set to work. Carol stayed near the guard rail staring out into the woods, waiting for the tiniest indication that Rick or Daryl were coming back.

The sun had begun to fall behind the trees when they finally came out, empty handed. Carol started to cry at the sight of them. Lori put her arms around her to comfort her. Behind them, Ed rolled his eyes.

"Where is she?" Carol asked.

"She's fucking gone," Ed said. Shane shot him a look and he backed off. Rick and Daryl began their explanation about finding the walker they had cut open, just to be sure it hadn't bitten a human recently. This comforted Carol a little but not much.

"So what, you're just gonna leave her out there?" Ed snapped. "It's almost night and you're gonna leave my fucking daughter out there for those things to get her?"

"We can't go back out there tonight," Rick said patiently. "It's like Daryl said, we'd be falling over ourselves we wouldn't be any good to anybody. We'll pick up the search at first light."

"By then she'll be walker bait." Ed continued. "Those things'll have her torn apart, all you're gonna find in the morning is pieces of her scattered across the woods."

Andrea drew back and punched him full on in the face. Shane and T-Dog grabbed her before she could land a second hit. A string of curse words flew from her lips as they pulled her away. While that was going on, Carol had dropped to her knees next to the guard rail, Lori's arms enveloping her.

Rick hopped the rail a second after Ed's words left his lips, his hands itching to do the same thing Andrea had. Instead, he tried diffusing the situation. "Andrea, calm down," he commanded. She stopped fighting against Shane and T-Dog but the fury was clear on her face. Carol's sobs were soft in the background. "I think what we all need is some food and some rest. We'll head out in the morning to keep looking for her." He looked directly at Carol. "We will find her and she'll be just fine."

Slowly, everyone started to break away. Lori led Carol to the RV. Ed started to follow, but Rick's hand shot out and gripped his arm, nodding toward his car. "You sleep in your car tonight. Carol will be fine with Andrea tonight."

"That's my wife-" he started to protest.

Shane gave him a shove and he stumbled against a car. Rick slammed his hand against Shane's chest telling him to back off as Ed scrambled away. Again, the group spread out. Rick went off in search of Carl.

Looking behind him, Shane caught Daryl's eye and nodded toward Ed. The man, if he could be called that, was lingering behind the RV trying to eavesdrop on Carol and Lori's conversation. Shane slammed him face first into the RV, Ed spun around cursing but stopped short when he saw who was standing in front of him.

"You think you're a big man, don'tcha?" Shane asked. "Spouting off about your daughter like that. Makes me think you don't care about her."

"She's my daughter."

Shane laughed without humor. "That's just stating a fact. Lori is Rick's wife. Amy was Andrea's sister. Those are all facts. Just because you're family doesn't mean there's love there." Ed opened his mouth but Shane slapped his hand there before he could speak. "You got Carol upset, Lori's all riled up, Andrea's more pissed off than a chained up dog. If I hear you say anything like you said earlier I'll make you regret it," he promised.

He removed his hand, wiping Ed's saliva on his pants.

"You won't do anything," Ed said quietly.

Shane looked to Daryl. "Say, you've been hunting before?" A nod in confirmation. "You probably know how to field dress a deer then?" Another nod. Now Shane nodded with him, looking back to Ed. He sniffed once. "This is your last warning. You cross me again. Say one word to Carol, put one foot out of line, I dare you. Me and Daryl will take you out in the woods. Hang you from a tree limb. Maybe give you a few cuts so the walkers smell the blood quicker." He didn't need to finish the description, the message was loud and clear.

Ed's eyes were wide with fear. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead because he was actually scared. The menacing glint in Shane's eyes told him this was no threat, but a solemn promise. He nodded a quick nod. Shane smirked and stalked off, feeling a little easier about the situation.

Still, Ed didn't move because Daryl was still standing there. The words were on the tip of his tongue, to last out and ask the redneck what his dumbass was staring at. Truth was, Daryl scared him more than Shane did.

"Shane's bark may be worse than his bite," Daryl said quietly. "I ain't gonna give a big speech, just gonna say I'll be watching you." He slipped away then, his practiced footsteps inaudible as he retreated. Ed cleared his throat and took a minute to compose himself before going to his car. When Lori brought him a plate of food a little while later, he didn't even give a snide comment about knowing her place.

The night grew darker as the hour grew later. One by one each member of the group nodded off to sleep. When Lori went to join her husband Andrea took her spot in the RV with Carol, wrapping her arms around her and letting the worried mother sob on her shoulder until she fell asleep.

* * *

Daryl shook his head in disgust, leading the group into the woods. Dale stayed behind to watch over their things and "fix the RV" though Daryl didn't think there was anything wrong with it. T-Dog was injured and wouldn't be much use in a fight against a walker.

But there was nothing wrong with Ed. He wasn't sick or injured, didn't have a special project tying him to the site. He was just a lazy bastard who complained all morning about having to go into the woods. Hearing enough of his shit, Daryl snapped and told Rick to let the fucker stay behind. The temptation to put an arrow in his brain and leave him under a bush might be too much to resist out there. Thankfully, Rick had agreed so now Dale and T-Dog were stuck with him.

Still, Daryl couldn't believe he cared so little about his daughter. Even Carl was coming along to help look for her and yet her own father was staying behind. He was glad that if- no, _when_- they found the little girl that he wouldn't have to be the one to explain where her father was and why he wasn't looking for her too.

No one in the group complained throughout their trek through the woods. When they reached a tent, Rick instructed Carol to call for Sophia. Receiving no answer, Daryl went inside. Thankfully, the grisly scene he found didn't include the little girl. He exited the tent and informed the group.

That's when the church bells rang. Everyone glanced at each other before taking off, with Rick in the lead, toward the sound.

"That can't be it," Shane said when they emerged from the trees. "It's got no steeple, no bells." The group paid no attention to him, everyone sprinting full force across the graveyard.

Rick paused on the steps outside the red doors, holding up one hand to signal silence. At the same moment, he and Daryl pushed the doors open. The sound alerted the two men inside and they spun around, their guns raised. One of them was at the huge crucifix at the front of the church, the taller one was in the corner, some feet away.

Rick, Daryl and Shane froze at the doorway with their own guns raised.

* * *

**A/N: So obviously a few things have been changed, and don't expect it to end there. I have a few more surprises up my sleeve for you. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**~JLL**


	2. Numb

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or The Walking Dead.**

* * *

**Chapter Two- Numb**

"_**I don't know where I am**_

_**I don't know what I've done**_

_**I just go over and over it again and again and again**_

_**I can't sleep at night **_

_**I cant breathe**_

_**But If I drink tonight I'll get you off my mind"**_

* * *

"Who the fuck are you?" the man by the altar called.

"I'm Rick Grimes," the cop told him. "We're not here to hurt anyone, we're looking for someone."

"Yeah, so are we," the man replied with a snarky grin.

"Let's all calm down, okay," Rick said. He lowered his gun, placing it on the floor and raising his hands up. "There's no need for guns here."

"Rick," Shane warned from beside him.

"We're looking for a member of our group. She's a little girl, about twelve. Her name is Sophia, have you seen her?" Rick said.

"Can't say we have." The man in the corner lowered his gun. "Dean," he said quietly.

Dean glanced at him before lowering his gun. "You're part of a group you said?"

"Yeah," Rick answered cautiously.

He smiled. "Would you happen to have anything to eat?"

Rick's reply was cut off by the church bells again. Shane and Daryl backed out of the church and ran around the corner, the women following. Shane returned, looking angry. "It's on a timer." He waved a finger toward the sky. He glanced at the two men still in the church. "What do we do about these guys?"

"Let's talk to 'em first, get 'em something to eat. We'll go from there," Rick replied.

"We don't know these guys," Shane protested. "We can't go around giving all our food away to strangers. We need to think about the group."

"I am thinking about the group," Rick replied hotly. "We need to focus on finding Sophia. Having a shootout in a church isn't the most productive way to go about that. We need to avoid any unnecessary conflict."

Shane bit his lip but didn't reply. Rick turned toward the men and motioned them over. "You know I'm Rick, this is Shane." He looked at the group that had gathered at the bottom of the steps. "The man with the crossbow is Daryl. That's Glenn behind him. This right here is my wife, Lori and our son Carl. The blonde there is Andrea and the lady next to her is Carol. She's the mother of the little girl we're looking for."

"Well, I'm Sam," one of the men said. "This is my brother Dean. Wish we could have met on better terms," he said with a smile. He looked at Carol. "I'm sorry to say we haven't seen your daughter. We were just outside of Atlanta before all this went down. Everyone said to get to the city, but we got there late and the place was overrun. We killed as many as we could but we got surrounded. Been on the move in the woods ever since." He motioned to his left. "We came from that way. Took off running when we heard the bells, just got here a few minutes before you all. If she was out that way we'd have seen her."

Rick nodded and looked to Daryl. "Well, we know where she isn't," he said flatly.

"Don't help none," Daryl replied bitterly. She was just a little girl lost in a large spread of land. Knowing that she hadn't come to the church helped only a little. There was still so much they had to cover.

Carol reached in her bag pulling out a bottle of water and two peanut butter sandwiches. She walked up the steps and held them out to the men. "It's okay. She's not your problem."

The tears in her eyes broke Dean's heart. He bit his lip. "Listen, if you want, we can help you look for her."

"That's okay, we've got enough people looking," Shane snapped.

"We'd love to have you help," Rick said firmly.

Shane glared at him. "Rick, we don't know these guys."

Rick only held up his hand. "They can help us look and then be on their way. The more people looking the better chance we have of finding her."

His friend scoffed and shook his head. "Can I talk to you?" he said to Rick. Pushing through the group gathered at the bottom of the stairs, he stormed off and stopped underneath the tree. Rick was behind him the whole way. Andrea's eyes followed them.

"I'll just be inside for a moment," Carol said, moving past the brothers. Daryl almost stopped her, but thought better of it. He kept an eye on her through the space between the brothers.

"Where did you guys come from?" Andrea asked. "Your accents don't sound local."

"We're from Kansas," Sam said.

"What's it like out there?" Glenn asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Hot," Dean replied. "Full of wheat."

Daryl snorted and Sam made an amused sound. "I think he meant the walkers, jackass.."

"Shut up," Dean replied, embarrassed. "I knew that."

Shaking his head, Sam answered. "We wouldn't know. Haven't been home in years."

"Why not?" Andrea blurted.

Sam hesitated. "Bad memories." He turned away from her, suddenly shy about being reminded of their past.

Rick and Shane's argument got loud for a moment, all heads turned to them but it quieted back down. Finally the two men made their way back over.

"Ya'll go on back, follow the creek. Rick and me are gonna hang around here for another hour or so in case Sophia heard the bells too. Be thorough."

"Split us up? You sure?" Daryl asked, looking at Rick, but it was Shane who answered. "Yeah."

"What about them?" Glenn asked, pointing to Sam and Dean.

Rick and Shane looked at each other. Not feeling comfortable enough to send these men with his wife, Rick said, "They'll stay with us."

"I want to stay too," Carl interrupted. "She was my friend."

"Up to you," Shane said after an awkward moment.

Rick and Lori shared a look before relenting. After a few more words, the group started toward the woods, following Daryl. Andrea looked more than a little upset about Lori getting a gun over her.

When they were out of sight, Rick turned to Shane. "Give me a minute." Then he disappeared inside the church.

* * *

The men walked through the woods, Carl following close behind his dad. "Anyone finding anything?" Rick asked.

"Nope," Sam replied sadly. "How did she get lost in the first place?"

Rick sighed. "A herd came through our campsite. She got ran out of her hiding place and ran into the woods. Two walkers followed her, I ran after her and had to leave her at the creek to deal with them. When I came back she was gone. Daryl and me spent all day yesterday looking for her."

Behind him, the brothers exchanged a look. "You know that's not good, right?" Dean asked.

"We're trying," Rick snapped.

"And we're helping," Sam said calmly, not wanting to start anything.

"So," Dean said after a long awkward pause. "Carol is the little girl's mother you said. That guy Daryl her father?"

Shane laughed out loud. Rick shot him a look. "Why on earth would you think Daryl is her father?"

Dean shrugged. "Didn't think the Asian kid was old enough to have a teenage daughter. He was the most obvious choice?"

"Good guess," Rick replied with a laugh. He couldn't help but think if he were Sophia's father they wouldn't be in this situation. "You're wrong, though. Sophia's father, Ed, is a sorry excuse for a man."

"If you can call him a man," Shane replied, a nasty look gracing his features. "Beats his wife, looks at his daughter in all the wrong ways, according to Carol. Hell, right now he's waiting back at the campsite. Couldn't be bothered to come look for her I guess."

Dean scoffed. "In this world, all you have left is family. Anyone who wouldn't even look for his daughter doesn't deserve her in the first place. If you find Sophia-"

"When we find her," Carl corrected him.

"Okay, okay, when you find her," Dean said. "I wouldn't tell her what her father's doing while she's missing. Hell, if it were me, I wouldn't keep him around. No place left in the world for a useless piece of-"

"Shhh!" Rick cut him off. He waved his hand, signaling for them to crouch down. As a unit, they moved forward almost silently. "Look," he whispered, pointing at the buck in the small clearing.

Shane smiled, raising his gun to shoot. Rick stopped him as Carl started forward. The deer looked up when the twigs cracked under his foot. Silently, he crept forward. The men behind him stared in awe as he got even closer. When the gunshot echoed through the woods, it took them all a moment to process it. No one moved, even as Carl's body fell to the ground.

* * *

Rick sprinted across the field, his son's lifeless body bouncing in his arms. Tears were running down his face but he didn't feel them. His shirt soaked with Carl's blood, but he didn't notice. Faintly, they heard the woman on the porch scream for her father. Sam and Dean were running behind Shane, watching him pull the fat man along.

There was a flurry of movement as the family ushered Carl into the house. Otis led the others into the house. He repeated over and over that he hadn't seen Carl, hadn't meant to shoot him, he was sorry. They stopped listening after a few minutes. The door to the room Carl was in opened.

"Rick," the woman called and they all looked up. A tremor shook Dean's body. The woman hesitated for a moment. "He needs blood." She ushered Rick into the room and shut the door. The brothers shared another look.

She came out a little while later, avoiding their eyes. Dean followed her into the kitchen and out the back door.

"Bela," he called, the door shutting behind him.

She turned. "My name is Maggie."

He advanced on her. "Don't fuck with me. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted. Her back bumped into the house behind her. Dean's fist slammed next to her head and she was trapped.

"Stop lying to me, for once in your life, Bela, just tell the truth"

She bit her lip, fighting with herself. "My name is Maggie Greene," she started. Dean punched the wall again.

"Accent might be different but that's the same old bullshit."

Her eyes began to fill with tears. "What are you doing here?" she asked finally.

"I asked you first."

"I woke up here."

"How did you get out?"

She bit her lip again. "An angel pulled me out."

Dean froze. _Cas_. "Was it Castiel?"

"No," she replied. Her face screwed up in confusion. "Who?""Never mind." He rolled his eyes.

"Maggie?" a voice called from the back door.

She shot Dean a look and he backed off of her. "Yeah?" she called back.

"Rick wants someone to go find his wife and bring her here. Can you take one of the horses out and get her? Shane will tell you where to look for her." The woman's eyes moved between them before ducking back inside.

Maggie started off toward the stables, Dean snatched her arm causing her to spin around. "We're not done here, Bela."

She wrenched her arm away. "We'll talk later." Turning back she said, "I don't go by that name anymore. It's Maggie now." She sprinted toward the stables, leaving Dean standing alone.

"Yeah. Maggie." He shook his head, turning toward the house. Sam was waiting by the back door.

"Bela?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Sam was flabbergasted. "But…how?"

"She said an angel pulled her out."

Sam's expression turned suspicious. "Why? I mean, we know why you were pulled out but why Bela?" He paused. "How do we even know she went to hell?"

"She made a deal, Sam. Same as me. She paid her dues, same as me. Apparently she got pulled out, same as me. But why?" He shook his head. "I'm gonna find out though." For a moment he watched her figure on the horse disappear into the woods.

Sam stepped off the steps. "Are we gonna talk about leaving here anytime soon?"

"What the hell for?" Dean snapped.

Sam huffed. "You know what the hell for. We have to find Kevin."

Dean scoffed. "Why? So he can read the prophecy. Close the gates of hell. What for, man? It's not our job anymore."

"Dean, we're talking about putting demons back in hell for good. And you don't want to?"

"We're in hell right now, Sammy." He waved his arms. "Does this look like our world to you."

"No," Sam replied. "But that's just it, it's our world and we have the chance to take it back. We can put the demons where they belong, we can get rid of these zombies-"

"Oh come on, Sammy, how the hell are we supposed to do that? We don't know what this is that's creating them, we don't know how to stop it. There's only so many bullets in the world. It's not our job. We stopped the apocalypse before, we stopped Lucifer from taking over. We thought we stopped the zombie apocalypse once but then this." Dean waved his arms. "Why is it our job to put the world back together? It seems to me the universe is pretty damn determined to break itself apart."

Sam stared at his feet. "What if this virus is the Croatoan virus?"

"It's not. The Croatoan virus caused rage. Do these things look rage-filled to you? No, whatever this is, it's something new."

"Okay, but what if it's not? What if this is the Croatoan virus, just a different strand or something? If we can close the gates of hell, we could end this whole thing," Sam said.

Dean scrubbed his hand over his face. "So you're saying you want to look for Kevin. A genius prophet who doesn't want to be found. In a world full of zombies. How do you expect us to get around? How do we even go about finding him?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. We'll figure something out."

"We'll figure something out," Dean repeated. "Great. We're gonna figure something out. 'Don't worry citizens of the world, Team Free Will is on it and we're gonna figure something out.'"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sam finally snapped. "What happened to you in purgatory?"

Dean froze. "You don't want to know." His left forearm stung at the very mention of purgatory. His hand made a tight fist and he closed his eyes.

_Dean watched in horror as Castiel slipped away from him. Dean's body was sucked through the portal, twisting him around and pulling him further away from Cas. He hit the ground rolling onto his feet, holding the sword up and looking around. He was surrounded by trees and Cas was nowhere in sight. That didn't mean he had made it back._

_There was the sound of low voices, Dean crept toward them. The voices stopped, and he ducked behind a tree as a teenage boy came into view._

"_Where am I?" he all but screamed in the boys face, holding the blade up. "Is this Earth?"_

"_Wh-what? Yeah," the boy stammered. _

_Dean let him go and took off into the trees. The boy called after him. "Don't go that way! The city is overrun!"_

_Paying no attention, Dean ran on. When he made it to the city, he understood what the boy meant by it being overrun. What he didn't understand was why. And what these things were._

It had taken a few weeks to track down Sam. If he hadn't known the kid so well it would have been a lot harder. He found him in Atlanta, running with a girl. Dean hung his head at the thought of Amelia.

When Dean spoke again, his voice was soft. "I know you think you have to avenge Amelia." Sam shifted uncomfortably. "But this is too big for us."

"We don't know that," Sam protested instantly. "We could fix this. It could be as simple as shutting the gates of Hell. If we do that, this whole virus could disappear."

"Yeah, that's if this is even the Croatoan virus."

"What else could it be?"

"Anything. Not every threat out there is demonic, some of it is human too," Dean replied. "And to shut the gates, we'd have to find Kevin. And what if Kevin is dead?"

"We find a new prophet." Sam shrugged.

"You say that like we still have an angel on our shoulder with the names of all the prophets burned into his memory. We don't know who the prophets are or how to find them. How would we even find the stuff Kevin would need?"

"Why are you so against this?"

"Because it's impossible."

Sam huffed, chest puffing out from anger. "Everyone thought it would be impossible for me to resist Lucifer. Or it was impossible for you to come back from Hell. And here you are. And Bela, too-"

"We don't know what that bitch is up to. Don't you think it's a little weird her turning up right now?"

"Hey!" Shane's voice interrupted them from the porch. "Ya'll boys want to come in where we can keep an eye on ya?"

"These people don't even trust us," Dean said. "You want to tell them about our dumbass plan to stuff all the demon's back in the box?"

Sam glared at him before stalking back into the house, Shane's watchful eyes on them both.

"What were ya'll fighting about?" Shane asked directly.

"What we should do about our car," Dean said. "It got left behind in Atlanta, If someone would be willing to help us get it, we'd be willing to share the weapons we left in there."

Shane stared at him a moment. "We'll talk to Rick about it in a little bit. Carl needs more blood. Rick will give him all he's got if Herschel would let him. What's your blood types?"

"AB," Dean answered. _Just like dad._

"Mine's A."

Shane nodded. "Sam, you come with me then." His eyes lingered on Dean as the two disappeared. Dean wandered into the front room to stare out the window. Wondering where it all went wrong.

* * *

**A/N: So Bela is Maggie. Does anyone have a problem with that? I have a reason for it, don't worry. Hope you liked it! Leave a review? ~JLL**


	3. Only If For A Night

**Disclaimer: None of this is mine.**

* * *

**Chapter Three- Only If For A Night**

"_**And although I was burning, you're the only light**_

_**Only if for a night"**_

* * *

"Shot?!" Dale exclaimed. "What do you mean shot?"

"I wasn't there," Glenn explained. "This chick just rode out of nowhere, like Zorro on a horse and took Lori."

"You let her?" Dale asked Daryl.

"Couldn't stop her. Rick sent her, she knew Lori's name and Carl's. I swear I'm gonna kill those two fucks when I see 'em."

"Who? Rick and Shane?" Dale asked.

"No," Andrea cut in. "The new guys."

"What new guys? Can someone just tell me what the hell is going on? The full story not bits of information like you're giving me!" Dale nearly yelled. Getting the story in bits and pieces like this was irritating.

Andrea smiled a little at him. "We were looking for Sophia, heard some church bells and went to investigate. There were two guys there." Sam's face popped up in her mind and she smiled. "They went with Rick and Shane."

"And now Carl's been shot?" Dale asked.

"Don't take a genius to figure out what happened there," Daryl said.

"You think one of those guys shot him?" Andrea asked.

"You got a better explanation, blondie?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think it was them."

"We'll see."

"This is all too much," Carol said, sitting on the ground against the guard rail.

"No sign of Sophia?" Dale asked.

Andrea shook her head. "We'll have to pick it back up in the morning."

"We've got to get to that farm," Dale said suddenly.

"We can't," Carol protested.

"Carol, our people are scattered. Carl's been shot, and according to Daryl, there might be two maniacs running around shooting people. We need to reconnect with our people and figure out our next move."

"What if Sophia comes back and we're not here? It could happen," Carol said.

Andrea shook her head. "If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful."

"Okay, we gotta plan for this. Tomorrow morning will be soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight," Daryl volunteered. "Stay with the RV."

"If the RV is staying, I am too," Dale agreed.

"Thank you," Carol said. "Thank you both." She and Daryl shared a look, he smiled slightly at her.

"Alright," Andrea said. "I'm in."

"Well, if you guys are staying, then I'm-"

"No, not you, Glenn." Dale interrupted. "You're going. Take Carol's Cherokee."

"Me? Why is it always me?"

"Because we have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and figure out what's going on. But more importantly you have to get T-Dog there. It's not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse. He has a very serious blood infection."

Glenn sighed in exasperation.

Daryl went to his motorcycle and pulled out a bag of pills, handing over the antibiotics. Dale leaned over to Glenn. "Take Ed with you. The last thing Carol needs right now is him around her. Let him be Shane's problem."

Glenn nodded, looking at Carol. "Alright, let's load up then."

* * *

There was another flurry of activity when Glenn arrived with T-Dog, sick with infection. Dean was biding his time, waiting for a chance to talk to Bela…_Maggie_, again. He'd offered to go along with Shane and Otis to pick up medical supplies, but seeing as how Shane didn't trust him he got a big fat no. Sam was resting on the couch, eating what Patricia had shoved into his hands. He looked a little pale after giving blood to Carl.

"_I don't think this is a good idea, Dean," Sam said, running to keep up with his big brother. "Those things are attracted to sound and here we are running toward loud ass ringing bells."_

"_Shut up," Dean snapped. The sound was louder, so they were getting closer. Dean broke the tree line first. He paused, glancing around. Not seeing any biters, he continued on into the church. Inside there were three walkers sitting on the pews. Dean handled two while Sam took out the one Dean missed._

_Now that he was inside, his adrenaline was running out. He walked to the front of the church, falling to his knees at the crucifix. Behind him, Sam only stared in amazement._

Cas_, Dean thought. There was a rush of emotion and a series of pictures in his mind. There was so much he wanted to say but he couldn't put them into coherent thoughts. "I'm sorry," he whispered._

Dean shook himself from the recent memory. Now wasn't reflection time. He looked around for Maggie, seeing her nowhere in sight. That didn't surprise him. He crossed the room and sat next to Sam.

"Alright?" Sam asked, looking up at him.

"Be fine," he mumbled.

Ed Peletier was seated in the chair next to window. Dean decided right away he didn't like him, from the moment he stepped into the house and ordered Maggie to get him a glass of water. Dean almost laughed at the look on her face, and hoped she spit in it for him.

"So," Dean said. "You're Ed? Sophia's father?"

"Yeah. So?" Ed replied.

He sniffed. "Just wondering. We were out looking for her today, don't remember seeing you out there."

"I was waiting at the camp, in case she came back. Thought she'd want a familiar face there to welcome her back."

"Yeah, no offense, but if I wandered into camp and yours was the first face I saw, I'd run the other way." Dean smirked.

Maggie snorted from the doorway. Ed shot her a look. She only stared back, daring him to say something.

"So you'd let your daughter wander around in the woods full of undead beings that want nothing more than to eat her alive and let your wife risk her life to go find her while you sat on your ass all day?" Sam spoke up from next to Dean.

Ed crossed his arms. "Why don't you just mind your business? No one asked your opinion."

Dean shrugged. "Thought I'd give you my opinion anyway, save you the trouble of asking."

"Wasn't gonna."

Dean smirked in response and turned his attention to the woman in the doorway. "Say, Maggie. If you're not doing anything, wind if we have a chat outside?"

She glared at him, regretting standing in the room too long. "I need to see if daddy needs help."

"I'm sure he's got it covered." He stood up, staring expectantly.

Patricia chose that moment to peek through the doorway. "Maggie? Come in here a moment." She smirked at Dean on her way out.

They didn't get a chance to talk later, as Maggie assisted Patricia in stitching up T-Dog's wound. Glenn got the whole story from Rick on what happened in the woods and decided the brothers weren't an immediate threat to the group's safety. Shane returned with the medical supplies, but without Otis and Dean immediately called bullshit on his personal account of the events.

* * *

Carol sat on top of the RV next to Dale. They were staring in the direction of the woods where Daryl and Andrea had gone. She hated feeling this way. Her hope rising that Sophia would be found. She imagined Daryl and Andrea making their way onto the highway with Sophia in tow. It was too dark for her to tell, but she knew Sophia would be smiling as bright as the sun. Maybe a little banged up and certainly covered in dirt, but nonetheless she would be okay. Carol smiled at this daydream.

When the beams of the flashlights cut through the night, the hope she felt nearly choked her. When only two silhouettes could be made out, she cried out. Feeling the tears coming, she stood up and made her way back down the ladder. Slamming the door behind her. She heard Dale's footsteps above her as he made his way to the ladder as well.

She had just laid down on the bed, the same spot she had been in before when the door opened. Dale's voice could be heard just outside talking with Andrea, so she knew it was Daryl. His movements were quiet and slow. The sound of his crossbow being placed on the table, his boots dragging against the floor. Carol could almost see him pondering what to do.

Finally, he made a decision. The end of the seat sank under his weight, her feet dipped down a little. Staring out the window, Carol said, "Do you think we'll find her?"

"Yeah," he said after a long pause. "She's out there, I'll find her."

She sniffled. "I just keep thinking about her being out there, all alone. It's my fault she's out there. I let her go."

"Nah," Daryl said. "Ain't no one's fault. One of them things that just happens I guess. She'll be alright."

Carol pulled at a loose thread on the blanket covering her. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Fer what?"

"I don't know. Looking for her. Trying to help. More than I can say about Ed."

Daryl felt a flash of anger at his name. "He don't deserve to be her daddy. Real man would have been the first one out there looking for her."

"Like you?"

He squirmed. "Rick, Shane and Glenn were all out there."

"Yeah." She pulled at the thread again. "I wish things would have happened differently."

"Like what?" Daryl asked. "Aside from the obvious, I mean."

She was quiet for a while. "Before all this happened, I felt like I was finally getting my life in order. I was planning on leaving Ed. As a matter of fact, I was staying at my sister's house. Ed came over ranting and raving about the apocalypse and the rising dead and demanded I come with him We packed some things and got on the road to Atlanta because that's where everyone said was safe." She paused. "See? He's not all bad. He cared enough about me and Sophia to want us out of danger. I'm not saying that excuses everything he's done but it lets me know there's still some good in him." She don't know why she felt the need to defend her estranged husband. Maybe so Daryl wouldn't think she was a complete moron for marrying someone so abusive.

Daryl took all this in. "I still think he's an asshole."

"He is," she said with a little laugh. "It's not fair to say that someone is a bad person with no good qualities at all. I don't believe people are like that. We all have some good in us, even Ed. And we all have some bad in us. Even me."

"Now that I don't believe," he chuckled.

She smiled. "You haven't known me very long, Daryl. The things I used to imagine doing to Ed when he hit me or looked at Sophia. I'm almost ashamed to admit them."

"Thinkin' ain't doin'. Everybody daydreams somethin'."

This made her smile and blush. "You and Andrea find anything out there?"

He shook his head, leaning against the wall. Glad for the subject change. "No sign of Sophia, or those guys we met earlier."

"Do you really think they shot Carl?"

"I don't know what else _to _think," Daryl said. "Only thing that makes sense really. Two strange guys show up all of a sudden and then Carl gets shot? Seems suspicious to me. Like a warning bell going off in my head."

She laughed at his joke. "If they turn out to be bad then we all ignored the bells."

He shook his head with a small smile. "I think you like them boys. That's why you're defendin' 'em. Think they can't be bad cause they're _sexy_." He pulled a face on the last word.

Carol burst out laughing, her face going red at the same time. "Daryl!"

"What? You ain't even gonna deny it?"

She shook her head, still laughing. "They're too pretty for me."

"Oh yeah, what you like then? I've seen Ed, so I'd think a swamp rat would be a step up from him. Maybe it's nerds you like? Got your eye on the Chinaman?"

"No, he's not rough and rugged enough." She looked at her lap, face burning. _I can't believe I just said that_, she thought.

Daryl was silent. "Like a mountain man?"

She giggled. "Sure. A mountain man with a beard, a farmer's tan and can play the banjo with his toes."

"Well I don't know about my toes…" he trailed off.

She pushed his shoulder still laughing. Her laugh turned into a yawn and he stood up. "I should let you get some sleep. Been buggin' ya long enough."

"You're not bugging me," she protested.

Daryl smiled his little smile again and reached behind her, fluffing up the pillows. "Good night, Carol." He lingered over her a moment then was gone, the door shutting behind him. Carol hugged her pillow close to her, falling asleep with a smile on her face. She had nightmares about Sophia that night, but there was nothing Daryl could do about that.

Andrea touched his shoulder, he flinched away and she dropped her hand. "You did good. Made her forget, if only for a little while. Can't do anything about the dreams." She climbed down the ladder, heading inside to comfort her friend.

Daryl stared over the expanse of highway before them. He'd felt a little sliver of happiness in the RV with Carol. If he could just find Sophia, everything would be alright.

If only for a little while.

* * *

**A/N: Please review? ~JLL**


	4. Strong Enough

**Disclaimer: This isn't mine. None of it. **

* * *

**Chapter Four- Strong Enough**

"_**Someone save me, am I strong enough to see this all the way? Strong enough to say**_

_**Can you hear me? Could you give me strength to fight another day? Am I alone?"**_

* * *

Carol awoke the next morning, staring into the bright sun. Images from her nightmares tried to take over her brain but she pushed them away, forcing herself to think positive today. She thought of her conversation with Daryl last night and that made her smile. Andrea sat at the table, cleaning her gun.

"Morning, sunshine," she called with a smile.

"Good morning." She stood and stretched. "Andrea, have you eaten?"

"No," the blonde replied, shaking her head. "Just got up a little bit ago." She looked up, smirking. "So. Daryl was in here awhile last night."

Carol blushed instantly. "He was." She tried to keep her face away from Andrea so she wouldn't see the blush, but Andrea saw anyway.

"Care to explain why he's suddenly so gung ho about growing a beard?"

She knocked over a stack of plates at her friend's words. "No idea."

Andrea laughed. "Sure you don't." She paused and smiled again. "You know he told me a story last night. When he was younger, he was lost in the woods for nine days. Had to wipe his ass with poison oak."

Carol laughed and Andrea smiled at the sound. "Thought you'd like that. Now we can tease him together."

"Tease who?" Daryl asked, opening the door and glaring at the girls.

"No one, Daryl," Andrea said. "Just girl talk."

"Uh-huh. We need to be getting ready to go so if you two hens are done with your clucking, how about getting up off your asses?"

"Jeez, Daryl," Carol said, her tone teasing. "What crawled up your ass?"

He gaped at her a moment and turned to Andrea. "Can't keep your mouth shut for nothin' can ya?"

Andrea shrugged. "She needed cheering up. I thought she'd get a kick out of it."

Daryl glowered and slammed the door in response.

"Next time we go on a supply run, remind me to get some Midol for him," Andrea quipped.

"I heard that!" Daryl yelled through the door.

"Yeah, good for you!" Andrea called back.

The two women looked at each other and burst out laughing.

* * *

The four of them arrived at the farm a little while later, everyone coming out of the house to welcome them. The two newcomers standing on the porch along with them.

"What the hell happened?" Daryl snapped, glaring at the brothers.

"Hunting accident, that's all, just a stupid accident," Rick said.

"How is he?" Dale asked.

Lori answered, "He's gonna pull through." They started praising the farmer and his family and to Daryl's surprise, Shane. He was an odd sight in the too big overalls and bald head. Something about his new appearance rubbed Daryl the wrong way. He wasn't right.

The family held a memorial service for Otis, who had died on the run with Shane. The long speech Shane made didn't sit right with Daryl. He was happy to get away from everyone for the day, going off on his own to look for Sophia. After the conversations with Andrea and then Carol the night before, he needed some time alone. Walking through camp he spotted Ed hovering by the RV.

Daryl stopped and headed toward the truck. "Andrea," he said, coming up beside her.

She looked up from the map. "What?"

Daryl nodded at Ed. "I'm heading out. Watch him."

She glanced to the man he had nodded to "I will," she promised with a firm nod. He nodded back and was gone. Andrea turned back to look at Ed. He was watching Daryl cross the property. She frowned.

"See something you like?" a voice asked behind her.

She jumped, spinning around. "Sam. You scared me."

"Sorry. Not sure how someone my size snuck up on you though." He chuckled.

"Guess I was focused on something else." She shrugged.

"Yeah, any reason you're staring at him?"

"I was watching him," Andrea clarified.

"Right, well, I was wondering. Well. Glen and Maggie are making a run into town. My brother and I left our car outside of Atlanta, we got chased into the woods there. We've got a ton of weapons in the car. Dean wants to make a run for it, we need some people to go with us."

Andrea hesitated. "You may want to ask Rick first."

"I did, he's going with us. Thought you might want to tag along."

"Rick is leaving with Carl like he is?"

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, the area we left our car shouldn't have many walkers around it. It'll be quick."

"Alright, I'm in. Let's ask Carol and Jimmy to go too."

"Carol? You think she'd want to go? I mean, waiting for Sophia and all…" he trailed off.

"I think it's exactly what she needs. All this sitting around, not knowing. Imagining all the things that could have happened to her. No, this is what she needs. A distraction," she said.

"Alright, go get her," Sam said. "Just make sure her dog doesn't follow." He nodded at Ed.

"Oh, don't worry, he's not leaving this farm."

* * *

"Rick," Lori said, leaning against the Hyundai. "Is this really a good idea? Going off with these men?"

"They've got weapons, we need weapons. I really don't think there's anything wrong with these guys. They were alone with me and Shane yesterday and didn't try anything. Hell, when Carl got shot, Dean tried to help him. Tried to stop the bleeding and all, until Otis came to take us to the farm. I think we'll be alright."

"What if something happens? Say, you get cornered. If Sam gets cornered and Dean has to choose who to save. He won't choose you, he'll choose his brother. And where will that put us?" Lori asked. "We need you here."

"I can't just send Andrea and Carol. Andrea's a decent shot but Carol's just learning to use melee weapons."

"So Carol stays here. Let Andrea go."

"Let Andrea go alone? Are you listening to yourself?"

"If you can't trust Andrea alone with these men, how can you trust them at all?"

Rick waved her away. "Lori, we've gotta go. We'll talk when I get back. Let everyone know that they need to stay close to camp. As soon as I get back I want everyone in front of the house so we can decide what to do from there." He kissed her cheek and gently pushed her away. She was being ridiculous. Sam jumped in the front seat with Rick while Andrea and Carol squeezed into the back with Dean in the middle.

They were quiet on the drive, paying close attention to the surroundings and keeping an eye out for walkers.

"You call them walkers?" Dean asked Andrea, after hearing her using the word.

"Yeah, what have you been calling them?"

He shrugged. "Zombies. Infected, Biters. Those things. Just whatever." Andrea chuckled softly.

Sam directed Rick toward the spot the car had been left. When they finally pulled up next to the Impala, Andrea let out a low whistle. "Wow."

"Yeah, isn't she beautiful," Dean said.

Andrea laughed. "She?"

"He calls her 'Baby'," Sam interjected from the front seat.

"Anybody see anything?" Rick asked, drawing everyone's attention to the present.

"Looks clear," Andrea said, glancing around.

"This side too," Carol added.

"Then let's move," Rick said, getting out.

The five of them climbed out. Dean rubbed his hand on the top of the car. "Sorry it took me so long to come back, I'm here now though," he said under his breath. Andrea's giggles and Rick's awkward coughs behind him told him he wasn't as quiet as he'd hoped he'd been. He took out the keys and opened the trunk. Sam and Andrea came up behind him as he did so. Rick and Carol hung back, glancing around the area.

Andrea gasped when the trunk was opened. "Holy shit.""Yeah," Dean said.

"What is all this?" she asked suspiciously. Most of the items there looked as if they'd been handled for years. No way they had put this together in a sudden panic.

Neither brother answered. Dean pulled out a machete and passed it to Carol. "Can you use this?"

She shrugged. "I can learn."

"We'll teach you," Sam promised.

"What did you say you guys did before all this?" Andrea asked, eyeing them skeptically.

"We didn't," Dean said.

"I'm asking you now then."

"Lady, you don't want to know."

"I do, that's why I asked."

Dean and Sam glanced at each other. Dean shrugged and closed the trunk. Sam went around to the passenger side of the car.

Andrea huffed, irritated at being ignored. "Wait, what are you guys doing?" she asked. Rick turned around now.

"I'm not leaving my car on the side of the road," Dean said simply.

"Are you coming back to the farm with us?"

The brothers looked at each other. "I think it's crowded enough without us there," Dean said.

"No, it's not. We'll make room," Rick said. "Look, we're gonna have a talk when we get back to the farm. It'll be a group decision whether we let you stay or not but I think as long as you pull your weight, no one will object to you staying with us." When neither brother answered he said, "There's a safety in numbers."

"I don't think we'd have to worry about that," Dean said. His remark was met with quizzical looks. "Alright, we'll stay with you then."

Sam glared at him. "Dean."

The older brother held up a hand. "We can talk later. Is there anything we need to get while we're close to town?" He squinted in the sun, looking toward the town just up head.

Rick thought about it. "We could walk on and see what's there. As long as we're here it won't hurt to check, at least. Everyone stay close, and no gunfire."

The group set off on foot. Dean made sure to keep a close eye on Carol, as she was the least experienced with a weapon. Sam and Andrea had machetes in hand they had also taken from the Impala's trunk. Dean had the sword he'd gotten from purgatory. Andrea had eyed it and made a joke about being a sci-fi fan that he'd ignored. He didn't care what she thought about it. The blade was made from a strange metal he'd never seen before but it was stronger and sharper than any earthly metal.

The town before them was barren, just a few cars littering the roadway. The store windows were intact. "Doesn't look like it's been looted," Rick said. "Let's split up. Andrea, you and Sam come with me. Carol can go with Dean." He pointed to the left side of the street. "We're gonna go in those food stores, then we'll go next door. Andrea you can look through the clothing see if there's anything we might need. Winter will be coming soon and it'll be cold. We need to start preparing now before everything disappears."

"We'll check the pharmacy first," Dean announced to Rick, who nodded in response. Dean motioned for Carol to follow him. They crossed the street and went halfway down the block until they reached their destination. Pushing open the door to the pharmacy Dean paused to listen. "Sounds clear."

Carol slipped in past him. He grabbed a bag and held it open while she loaded up on any medicine they might need. Dean tied the full bags and set them by the door, grabbing another as Carol led him to the feminine products. He blushed and tried to look elsewhere.

"I think Andrea likes your brother," Carol commented.

"How can you tell?"

She shrugged. "Just the way she looked at him." Carol handed him the full bag and asked him to tie it, he obliged. A strange feeling washed over as she watched him tie the bag and put it by the door with the rest. She'd never asked a man to do anything and have him do it for her. Ed wasn't the type to do favors. Dean and his brother seemed like such gentlemen. Carol wandered over to the counter, eyeing the candy. Her eyes filling with tears.

Dean hung behind her. "You alright?"

She shook her head. "Memories."

"Sophia?" She nodded in confirmation.

Dean walked over and leaned against the counter, suddenly understanding why the sight of the candy had made her cry. "When Sam was a kid, I used to get him something sweet every time I came into a store. Our mom died when I was five, Sam was six months old. Not even a year old." Carol gasped. "Dad wasn't really around, used to move us around here and there. Can't tell you how many schools I went to. He'd go off on a bender and leave me and Sam alone. Cold Beefaroni, a soda and a Milky Way isn't really a healthy meal for a seven year old, is it?"

Carol shook her head with a sad smile and Dean shrugged. "I didn't know any better. Always cheered Sammy up though. He'd always save his candy for when he was doing his homework. Guess that was when he could really appreciate it. Math always kicked my ass."

She laughed. "How did your mom die?"

He was quiet for so long she didn't think he was going to answer. "House fire. I just remember dad screaming at me to take Sammy and run. 'Just run,' he said, 'don't look back'. What makes it worse for Sam is he had a girlfriend die the same way just a few years back. Kid's had a hard life," Dean said.

"Sounds like you did too."

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, but I can deal with it." He paused. "What did Sophia like?" He nodded to the candy when she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

She smiled. "M&Ms."

"Not bad. I always preferred gummies," Dean said. He plucked a Milky Way from the rack and stuck it in his pocket before grabbing a bag of M&Ms and pushing it in her hands. "For Sophia, when she comes back. We better get a move on."

Carol smiled at him as he turned away. Silently, she reached out and took a bag of gummy worms, slipping them into her pocket before Dean could see.


	5. New Revolution

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.**

* * *

**Chapter Five- New Revolution**

"_**In the dark of day**_

_**Teach us love again**_

_**Pray we stay for**_

_**The new revolution is here**_

_**And the road to redemption is here**_

_**Come hell or high water babe**_

_**We'll keep movin' on"**_

* * *

Back at the farm, Sam and Andrea helped Carol unload their supplies from town while Dean showed off his car to Shane and Dale.

"Carl is gonna love this when he gets better," Shane commented. "Show him what a real car is."

"Where did you get her?" Dale asked.

Dean smiled. "She was my dad's in the 70s."

"Vintage, so adorable," Andrea commented, coming up beside him.

He looked at her, confused. "What's that, Clueless?"

She laughed. "Yeah, something like that." She patted his shoulder and walked off toward camp.

Carol appeared at his side next. "Do you have any laundry? I'm gonna get a load together."

"That's alright, I can do it."

"I don't mind," Carol insisted.

"Alright, then." He reached in the back seat for his bag and pulled out a few things. "Should get me through a few days. Thanks." She smiled at him and set off again toward Sam.

"Still have your dinosaur, I see," a new voice spoke. He looked up to see Maggie standing in front of his car.

"Don't have a reason to get rid of it. And don't talk about her like that."

She snorted. "Really? Cause I can think of about five right off the top of my head."

"Yeah, no one asked you, though."

She fought back a smile. "Still want to have that talk?"

"What do you think?"

She glanced around to see almost everyone working on one chore or another. "I think Rick wants to have a talk with the rest of your group, so I can take you for awhile. Come on." Dean followed her, finding himself in a horse stable a moment later.

"Alright, talk," Dean commanded once they were out of earshot.

"Might help if I knew what you wanted to know."

"I want the truth. See, Sam thinks you were just fucking with us before with all that Bela Talbot shit. Making us think you had a deal, but I don't think that's true." She stayed silent. "What do you remember from the Pit?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly.

"You're lying."

"I'm not.""You are," he said firmly. "I see it in your eyes."

She looked away from him. "I don't know what to tell you. I went to hell and an angel pulled me out. I remember talking to you on the phone before the hellhounds came. I remember hell. The first thing I remember being back on Earth was running down the road, screaming. Herschel found me just down the road from here and took me to the hospital, they thought I was crazy. Because I couldn't stop screaming."

Taking a minute to catch her breath, she sat down in the dirt, wrapping her arms around her knees. "At first I couldn't remember anything. My name, birthday, where I'd come from. Nothing. Herschel lied to them and told them my name was Maggie and I was his daughter. He made up all of my information but said he couldn't remember my social security number. When they couldn't find anything wrong with me, they released me. Herschel could have stopped the car anywhere and pushed me out. No one would have known, no one would have missed me.

"But he didn't, he took me into this home. Raised me as his daughter. I have a sister now. And I'm not the same person you knew back then. Being in that pit changed me."

Dean listened intently to all of this, and damned if he didn't believe her. "When did you come back?" Dean asked softly.

She smiled. "It was September 18th. I've been using it as my birthday ever since."

Dean froze at her words. "What year?"

"What?"

"What. Year. When did you get back?"

"2008."

Dean slammed his fist against the wood behind him. The horses made noises of protest and Maggie jumped. She stood up off the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I was raised from hell on September 18th, 2008."

"So we were pulled out the same day. By the same angel?"

Dean shook his head. "Cas pulled me out. You already said he wasn't the one to pull you out." He began pacing. "What the hell does this mean? Why were you pulled out? What the fuck is this!?" he nearly yelled.

"Calm down, someone might hear you."

He spun around to face her. "What was his name?"

"What?"

"The angel who pulled you out, what was his name?"

She trembled a little from the anger in his eyes, and swallowed before answering. "Gabriel."

"Gabriel?"

"Yeah. He came to me in a dream after I'd been here a few weeks. Then he came to me in person a few times. Never told me anything useful, just that I needed to stay here and not leave at least for a few years," Maggie said.

"He never told you why?"

She shook her head. "Just that you were gonna need me. I thought he was full of shit or fucking with me. Didn't think the chances of running into you again were all that high. Thought they got even lower with this mess but I was wrong wasn't I?"

Dean laughed without humor. His head was spinning with all this new information. "Gabriel never gave you hints? Never left anything with you?"

"No," she said. "We only ever talked for a few minutes. I haven't seen him in years though."

"He's dead," Dean told her.

Her eyes grew wide and he could have sworn he saw tears before she turned away.

"So what are you and Sam doing down here?"

Dean bit his lip, considering how much to tell her. Someone was calling their names from the house. "I think we're being paged," he said.

"I hear." She hesitated at the door. "We'll finish this later."

"Yeah," he said gruffly, though she was already gone. Dean peeked out to make sure no one was looking his way before he started back to camp to get Sam.

* * *

Rick stood on the steps, looking over his group. Sam was sitting on the hood of the Impala some yards away. "Alright, I think this needs to be a group decision. By now we've all met the brothers at least, now the question is what to do with them. Should they stay with us or send them on their way? I want to hear from everyone."

"I say we send them away," Lori said immediately. "We don't know anything about them. They can leave weapons with us and take their car and go. They've made it this far on their own."

"I'm with Lori," Shane agreed.

"I say we let them stay," Andrea chimed in. "Like Lori said, they've made it this far on their own so they can obviously handle themselves. We could use the extra protection."

"I agree with Andrea," Carol spoke up. Daryl looked at her, hesitating a moment. "Let 'em stay," he said gruffly. Carol looked over and smiled at him in thanks. He nodded back to her.

Ed witnessed their exchange and was fuming. "They ain't nothing but trouble, send them on their way," he said. No one paid attention to him.

"Rick," Glenn spoke up. "I think you should tell everyone what happened in the woods yesterday, after Carl got shot."

He nodded and launched into the story of the men walking through the woods. "That shot rang out, we all knew what it was but it happened too fast. Carl went down and we were all just frozen for at least a full second. Dean was the first one to move, ran right over to him. Used his shirt to stop the bleeding until Otis came up and showed us the way to the farm.

"Then Sam gave Carl his blood. They helped us look for Sophia, spent hours out there with us for a girl they've never met." He turned to his wife. "And you want to take their weapons and kick them out? After they helped save our son's life? What if Dean hadn't been there? Shane or me might not have moved so quick to get to him, he could have bled out on the way here. Or if my blood wasn't enough to save him and Sam wasn't around. What then? Our son would be dead."

Lori started to cry. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before nodding. "They can stay with us," she choked out before turning and rushing into the house. Shane shook his head, leaning against the porch railing.

Rick turned back to the group. "Alright, then. Anyone else object to the brothers staying with us?" Only Shane and Ed raised a hand. Rick shrugged. "Majority rules. Looks like they get to stay with us." He started off the steps but Carol stopped him.

"I'll let them know. You go back in with Carl," she said with a smile. Rick nodded his thanks before disappearing.

The group broke apart, Ed glared at Carol's back as she made her way to where Sam and Dean were sitting.

"What's the verdict?" Dean asked. "Have we been voted off the island?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You get to stay. I think the group is beginning to trust you."

"Glad to hear it," Sam said. "Thanks for letting us know."

She smiled before walking away, back to the RV. The brothers were silent, watching her go.

"Bela finally talk to you?" Sam asked.

"Maggie, you mean."

"Whatever. What did she say?"

Dean sighed heavily before launching into the story.

"So that's Bela after hell spit her out?" he said with a laugh.

"No, that's Maggie now." He kept his eyes on Sam as he prepared to drop the final bomb. "Gabriel pulled her out."

Sam shot forward off the car. "Gabriel? He's alive?"

"No, not as far as I know. She was pulled out the same day I was."

The boys were silent for a long time. "I don't understand any of this."

Dean shrugged. "Me either."

"I wish Cas were here," Sam said suddenly.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, looking away. His heart clenched. "Me too."

* * *

Carol was stitching a blanket when Daryl came into the RV, stunned by how clean it was. "I wanted it to be nice for her," was her only explanation.

"For a second I thought I was in the wrong place," Daryl replied.

She snickered and he placed a bottle on the table in front of her.

"A flower?" she asked, touched and a little surprised.

"It's a Cherokee Rose," he said and began the story of how the roses grew where the mother's tears fell to give them hope over losing their children.

Carol could only cry and laugh softly. Touched by his action of giving the flower, the story he told and his overall sweetness.

He started to leave, pausing at the door. "She's gonna really like it in here," he said. They shared a long look before he exited the RV. Carol wiped her eyes and followed him out into the camp. Ed was sitting at the campfire boring holes into her body.

Ignoring him, she walked to the clothesline to check on everyone's clothes. Feeling they were dry, she began taking them down.

"What was that redneck doing in there with you?" Ed snapped from behind her.

She didn't even turn to face him. "Talking. Comforting. Something you don't know about."

"What's wrong with you, bitch?"

Now she looked at him. "That's what's wrong with me. I don't even know who you are. If it hadn't been for this mess we wouldn't even be together anymore."

He laughed. "Yeah, okay."

She dropped the last shirt into the basket and started back to camp without looking back at him. Andrea had her eyes trained on him the entire time, Sam lingered by her side ready to step in.

"Everything okay, Carol?" he asked.

"Just fine, Sam. Thank you." She smiled before going into the RV. Andrea followed her inside, shooting a glare at Ed before she shut the door.

* * *

"Here, Daryl," Carol said, handing a stack of clothes to him.

"Some of this ain't mine," he said as she turned to leave, picking up two button down shirts that still had sleeves attached.

"They are now. We got them from town today."

Daryl's head shot up. "Whatcha you mean 'we'?"

"I mean me, Rick, Andrea, Sam and Dean went to town and picked up a few things."

"What the hell was Rick thinking taking those guys out with you women? We don't know if we can trust those two."

Carol put a hand on his chest. "We already had our talk about this remember? The group decided to let them stay. Rick trusts them."

"Rick also trusts Shane."

Her face scrunched up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nothin', don't worry 'bout it. Forget I even said it."

She squinted her eyes at him. Her next words were going to get her and Dean in even more trouble, but it was going to be worth it to see Daryl's face afterward. "I trust them too. As a matter of fact, when we were in town Rick split us up. Dean and I went into the pharmacy. He even gave me a machete and promised to teach me how to use it."

For a long horrifying moment, Daryl didn't say anything. When he did he was almost spitting with every word. "That man has lost his damn mind. Takin' two strangers and two women into town with him. You can't even swing a bat and they're handing you machetes and shit, any damn thing could have happened to you in there and Rick would have never fuckin' known it."

"Daryl."

"Ain't neither of them boys gonna teach you shit, we don't know them. I'll teach you how to use a machete. Shit I'll teach you how to shoot an apple through a hula hoop with a bow and arrow upside down and swinging from a tree before I let one of those boys near you."

"Daryl," she spoke a little louder this time and he stopped.

"What?" he snapped.

"I got you something else from town." She pushed something in his hands and turned to walk away. He stared after her for a moment then looked down at the item she'd slipped him. He cursed and threw it on the ground.

"Damn woman, think you're real fuckin' funny don'tcha?!" he called after her. She smiled back at him and he kicked the bottle of Midol away from him.

* * *

Andrea cackled madly, watching the scene unfold from the RV. Carol had told her beforehand that she'd gotten a bottle of Midol to give to Daryl as a joke. She'd been pushing Carol to give it to him for the better part of an hour just so she could see his reaction and she had not been disappointed.

Carol stepped into the RV and instantly joined in on Andrea's laughter. "You should have seen his face when he realized what it was!" Andrea howled. Her head tilted back, she was full on belly laughing. Carol had tried to hold in her laughter, but Andrea's was so infectious she just couldn't help herself. They leaned on each other, gasping for breath.

"That was priceless," Andrea said breathlessly, wiping her eyes.

Carol dabbed at hers with the end of her sleeve, feeling better than she had in days. They stood up and looked out the window. Daryl was standing in the same place she'd left him with his hands on his hips. They were laughing so loud he could hear them out there. He raised his hand and shot them the bird before stalking off. The girls broke out in laughter again, missing Daryl's small smile as he made his way to where Rick, Sam, Dean, Shane, Glenn and Maggie were surrounding the hood of the truck.

Finally the girls noticed something was up. "What are they doing?" Carol asked, wiping her eyes.

Andrea ran her hand under her own. "Plotting out Sophia's possible course. Where we've looked, where we need to look."

Carol watched as the group broke apart, heading in different directions and Sam was left standing alone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Milky Way that Dean had given him earlier. As he pored over the maps he ate his snack. Again, Carol felt her eyes well up with tears.

-line break-

Daryl followed Dean to his Impala, taking him around to the trunk.

"Car ain't bad," Daryl said. "Gas guzzler though, ain't it?"

"A little," Dean said, chuckling. "Can't give her up though, been through too much together."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, a few years back, me, Sam and my dad got blindsided by a semi-truck. I was in a coma for a while and my dad died in the hospital. Sam wasn't hurt all that bad, but the car was almost destroyed. Took me a few months but I built her back up, good as new." He rubbed his hand over the shiny black metal before lifting the trunk lid.

"Didn't do too bad of a job," Daryl said, inspecting the car closely.

"Thanks," Dean said sincerely, lifting the false bottom.

Daryl's eyes widened a little. "You and Sam serial killers or something?"

"Nah, let's just say, this isn't the first time we've killed monsters."

"Yeah?" Daryl asked. He was curious as hell but decided not to ask. Everyone had a past and he didn't like being prodded about his so why should he go around prodding others about theirs? He couldn't stop himself from teasing a little, though. "You mean you killed something with a harpoon gun?"

"Can't say I have," Dean admitted with a small laugh. "Though now that you mention it…"

Daryl chuckled. "Since Carl found those knives and all, I think most everybody has a weapon. Might want to start Carol with an axe though." He pulled the weapon out.

"Machete would be easier for her to swing," Dean said.

"Harder for her to pull out of a skull though."

"Give her both, let her try each one. See what she's comfortable with."

"Ed might need somethin'," Daryl said reluctantly.

"These will do just fine for him," Dean said, holding out a pair of brass knuckles with a grin. Daryl snorted. "Oh yeah," he agreed.

* * *

Dean awoke when the sun reflected off the glass of the Impala's windshield. Sam was in a tent with the rest of camp, but Dean couldn't bare to leave his baby when he'd just gotten her back. He lay still for a moment, enjoying the silence of the camp. Like he did every morning when he awoke, he prayed to Castiel. He didn't know if the angel could hear him in Purgatory or if he was even still alive. He just hoped some of his message was getting through.

_I don't know what to do here. The freaking zombie apocalypse was one thing. Closing the gates of hell is another. But now there's Bela. Maggie. Whatever. Why was she pulled out of hell? Why did Gabriel say I would need her? I need answers, Cas. But I don't know who to ask to get them. I need help. _

_I need you._

Dean sat up then, rubbing his eyes. The bag in the floorboard held his clothes, he reached in and pulled out a fresh shirt, something else fell from it. A bag of gummy worms had been tucked in there with a note reading, '_Treat yourself once in awhile_. _You deserve it too._'

Folding the note, he slipped it into his pocket and smiling brighter than he had in a year. A bright start to a day sure to be hell.

* * *

**A/N: To the "guest" who reviewed last chapter about the M&Ms, they weren't for Dean, they're for Sophia. How is everyone liking this so far? I think the part with Ed and Carol was a little awkward, I wrote it several different ways but couldn't find one I liked so I just wrote it and left it. Review? ~JLL**


	6. Say You'll Be There

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. None of it.**

* * *

**Chapter Six- Say You'll Be There**

"_**I'm giving you everything, all that joy can bring, this I swear **_

_**And all that I want from you, is a promise you will be there **_

_**Say you will be there"**_

* * *

Daryl thought he was having a good day when he found Sophia's doll in the creek. But it turned out to be a bad day when he was thrown off a horse, into a ravine and impaled with his own arrow. _The one day I wear sleeves_, he thought as he ripped them off to tie around his body.

Then there was the climbing back up, falling down, hallucinating his brother and was attacked by a walker. Climbing back up the hill, there Merle was again. Taunting and laughing the whole way.

_You gonna come up here and shut my mouth for me?_

_Kick off them damn high heels and climb, son._

_I just don't think you're gonna make it to the top._

_Grab your friend Rick's hand._

His hand shot up to grip the top of the hill and a pair of hands wrapped around his wrist and started to haul him up.

"Merle?" he said, deliriously.

"Who the hell is Merle?" the person asked.

Daryl leaned against the tree and looked into the man's face. "Dean."

"Yeah, it's me. You okay, man? What the hell happened to you?"

"Just having a bad day is all." Daryl shook his head to show it wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah, bad day. Let's get you back to camp." He reached to put Daryl's arm over his shoulder but he jerked away.

"Don't need your damn help. I can make it back on my own." When Dean started to protest Daryl held up the doll. "Besides, Sophia was around here, close. I found her doll down there. Somebody's gotta find her. I can't make it down and up again. I ain't dumb enough to think I can." He was achy, dehydrated, seeing double, hallucinating and not to mention, bleeding.

"I'll get down there and find her." Dean looked him up and down. "You sure you can make it back?"

"I'm fine. If you take me to camp and then come back you'll just be wasting time." _I'm sure I'll have plenty of women fussin' over me when I get back anyway,_ he added mentally.

"You're sure?" Dean asked again.

"Just find her." He grabbed the strap on his crossbow and set off, wincing pain at every step. He pointed out to Dean exactly where the doll had been and the man slid down the hill in search of the little girl.

"Sophia?" Dean called out. She didn't know him, so if she saw him there was a chance she might not come to him. "Your mom sent me to come get you. If you can hear me, come out in the open." There was nothing, no response, no sound at all. He splashed through the creek, searching on the ground for footprints or any sign she'd gone through there.

There was nothing.

"Sophia!" he called out again. He listened carefully for the tiniest of sounds. Behind him there was a flutter and a loud thump. "Sophia?" he asked spinning around. His blood froze in his veins and his heart damn near stopped. "Cas?"

* * *

"Walker. Walker!" Andrea cried, pointing to the tree line. The glare on her binoculars prevented her from seeing much.

"Just the one?" Rick asked.

"I bet I can nail it from here," Andrea said, picking up her rifle. Dale tried to stop her, but she clicked the safety off and raised it to her eye even as Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn were sprinting across the field.

She pulled the trigger and watched it go down, feeling a rush of satisfaction cut short by Rick screaming at her.

Rick and Shane were hauling Daryl to his feet when she and Dale ran across the field. "Is he dead?" she cried.

"Just unconscious."

"What the hell happened to him? He's wearing ears," Glenn observed.

"Let's keep that to ourselves," Rick said, tearing them off.

"Guys," T-Dog said. "Isn't this Sophia's?" He held up the doll, everyone froze in place staring at it.

"Dean's out there looking for her," Daryl said. Herschel was cleaning the wound in his side. "He found me when I was climbing back up the hill the second time, could have used him the first time around," he said bitterly, though secretly he was thankful Dean had been there at all. Now there was a chance they might find the little girl.

"Maybe we can go out in the woods and help him?" Rick said. "Sophia doesn't know him, she might not want to come out."

"It's almost dark," Shane protested. "If he doesn't make it back by nightfall we'll be sending out a search party in the morning for him and Sophia. I'd like to not have any of our group out there in those woods."

"Dean can handle his self out there," Daryl spoke up. "Something 'bout him just says he's been through worse. He can handle a night out there alone." The words surprised him. Just yesterday he hadn't trusted Dean or his brother, and now he was all but singing his praises. Maybe it was Dean's determination to help him or stay and look for a little girl he'd never met. Daryl knew if Dean found her, she was in good hands.

Rick and Shane shared a look before slipping out the door, leaving Daryl to rest. "He'll be alright," Rick said, giving Lori a hug.

"Do you think he'll find her?" Lori asked.

"I don't know," Rick admitted.

"I gotta agree with Herschel on this one, we can't keep going out there, not after this," Shane said.

"You'd quit now, after Daryl just risked his life to bring back the first hard evidence we've had?"

"That's one way to look at it," Shane said. "The way I see it Daryl almost died today for a doll."

"Yeah I know how you see it," Rick sneered before walking away.

Carol was standing near Dean's Impala, clutching Sophia's doll to her chest. Rick touched her arm as a way of greeting. She spun to face him. "She's out there," she said, her eyes full of tears. "Sophia is out there somewhere right now. She could be hurt." She kept herself from saying more. "Or worse. And look at Ed. Over there stuffing his face, not caring one bit that his daughter might be alive or she might be dead." Shook her head in disgust.

"Hey," Rick said. "You don't worry about him. If he can't appreciate that little girl, then it's his loss."

"But what if she comes back? And he doesn't care at all? What if she thinks he hates her or she'd be better off out there?" Carol started to cry. Rick looked around for someone to help, but finding no one, he pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back.

"You can't think like that. Just let her know of all the people here who do care about her. Look at what Daryl went through just to get her doll. Right now there's a man who has never laid eyes on this girl, out there looking for her. So don't worry, she'll feel the love," Rick said, hoping he sounded confident.

Carol smiled, pulling away from him. "Thank you." She went into the house to help Lori with dinner. She constantly glanced out the window for any sign of Dean.

The sun went down and there was still no sign of him. Everyone sat down to have dinner together, trying to ignore the tension buzzing around them. Carol made sure she set a plate aside for Dean, and extra just in case….she didn't want to think it for fear it might jinx it. She made another plate to take to Daryl and thank him for his help.

Before leaving, she kissed his temple, wishing he hadn't flinched away. Her final words had been true, Daryl had done more for Sophia in that one day than Ed had done in his whole life. Even if Daryl didn't think it was true, he was every bit as good as Rick and Shane.

* * *

Dean rushed forward, pulling Cas off the ground. "Cas!" The angel weakly sat up. "What the hell happened to you? How did you get out?"

"I don't know how I got out, someone must have pulled me out."

"Yeah I hear there's a lot of that going on lately."

"You mean Bela."

"Maggie. Take it you heard my prayers?"

Cas pushed himself onto his knees and nodded. "I heard every word." His blue eyes bore into Dean's, causing the human to lick his lips and look away uncomfortably. "It took almost all of my energy to get to you. But I'm here."

Dean pressed his lips together, clapping Castiel's shoulder. "And man am I glad to see you."

"But Dean," Cas started. "What are we doing out here?"

Dean closed his eyes. "I thought we stopped the apocalypse, Cas? I thought stopping Lucifer meant stopping the end of the world."

"What do you mean?" the angel asked.

"I mean the undead are walking the earth right now. What the hell is going on, Cas?"

"I don't know." He stood up straighter and looked around. "And I mean, what are you doing out here? In the woods. And where are we?"

"Somewhere in Georgia," Dean answered. "And I'm looking for a little girl. Want to help me?"

Cas looked at him and tilted his head to the side a little. "I don't understand."

"Sam and I got hooked up with a group. One of them has a daughter, she's lost somewhere out here. I'm trying to find her. Anyway you can use your angel..mojo," he waved his hand. "To find her?"

"I told you, my grace is weak." He looked into Dean's eyes and repeated, "It took almost everything in me to find you."

Dean licked his lips, not wanting to broach this yet. "Right." He turned and continued walking in the direction he'd been walking before, Cas followed. Suddenly, Dean stopped and reached into his bag; he held out a knife to Cas. "If something attacks, use this. Gunfire attracts them."

"What are they?"

"I don't know. Sam thinks they're Croats." He shook his head. "This doesn't seem the same as what I saw though. Would you be able to tell?"

"I'm not sure in this state. Maybe if I were stronger…" he trailed off.

"How did you get out?" Dean asked, glancing back at him. "You really don't know?"

"No. I was running there and then I was here, on Earth. I could hear you praying to me, so I came to find you. Now I'm here."

Dean shook his head. Cas noticed. "Is something the matter?"

"I just wish I knew what the hell was going on. All of this starting. Bela coming back from Hell. Now you showing up here. None of it makes sense."

"I know the feeling," Cas said quietly.

Without warning, Dean stopped and held up a hand so Cas would follow suit. Silently, he pointed to his left, the pair went through the trees following the rustling that had caught Dean's attention. They found a pair of walkers shuffling around. Dean raised his blade and demonstrated to Cas how to dispose of them. Cas made a face when he pulled the knife from the walker's head.

"I prefer my way," he said.

"Yeah, well, your way ain't exactly an option right now. So for now, you do it my way." Dean smiled a little at the look on the angel's face. "Come on," he nodded into the trees. "Let's keep looking."

* * *

Sam came out of the house to see Maggie sitting on the hood of the Impala, tears running down her face.

"You can't be that upset about Dean," he said, moving in front of her. "Not after all the times you tried to kill him." He meant it as a joke, but she recoiled away as if he'd slapped her.

"I'm not that person anymore," she spat. "I told Dean and I'm telling you. I've changed."

Sam held up his hands. "I'm sorry." He shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. "You know Dean will kill you if you leave an ass print on his car."

Maggie smiled. "Yeah, well, as long as he's here to do something." She wiped her eyes.

"Are you really crying over him?" Sam asked seriously, leaning on the bumper next to her.

She shook her head. "No, I'm just shook up." Sam was silent, waiting for her to continue. She did with a shaky voice. "Lori's pregnant."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding."

Maggie shook her head. "No, she seems to think Glen is her errand boy." Her voice was bitter and angry, she shot a look toward camp, where Lori was moving around with Carol. "She sent us into town for her, had a list of things she wanted. Lotion, abortion pills."

"What?"

She shook her head. "She wanted a lot of them, I guess she doesn't want the baby. Probably knows it's not her husband's."

"It's not Rick's?"

Maggie bit her lip. "Shane's, according to the rumor mill."

"This place is like a soap opera," Sam said with wide eyes.

"No kidding, it's the most excitement we've had around here since…well, I guess since I came here."

"Yeah, how was that exactly?"

"Now I don't believe Dean kept our conversation to himself. He probably told you all I told him."

"Which apparently wasn't much. Anything else you want to tell us?" he asked.

"I'll tell you the whole story." She took a deep breath, hoping someone would interrupt them. "Like I told Dean, I just woke up here one day. Running down the road, Herschel picked me up and brought me into his home. At first, I couldn't remember anything. I would have nightmares when I slept but I could never remember them. Beth would always crawl in the bed with me to calm me down. That's how our sister bond got started.

"Then after awhile, I started to dream about an angel."

"Gabriel?" Sam asked softly.

She nodded. "He said he was the reason I couldn't remember anything, he was blocking out my old memories. In time they would all return to me, I just needed to get stronger because I wouldn't be able to handle what I saw. I thought he was just another dream until he came to me in person one day. After that I started to get my memories back. My childhood first. The deal I made with the demon. My parent's deaths." She took a deep breath. "I remember the hell hounds coming to get me. Then I didn't remember anything else. When I asked Gabriel he said that it was Hell, and he was helping keep those memories away."

She knotted her fingers together. "One day, Gabriel came to me when I was in the stables. He said that I might not be seeing him again anymore. When I asked him why, he told me he might be going away. It seemed so….off, I don't know. I begged him and he finally told me. You and Dean were in trouble, in over your silly heads, as he put it.

"He was going to get you and save your asses, again, he said." She smiled, Sam returned it sadly. "But one of his brothers might be there and he might not make it out, he told me. But I needed to be ready because if anything happened to him, all of my memories from hell would come back. He wouldn't be around to keep them out anymore.

"At first I thought it was all hogwash."

"Hogwash?" Sam asked, incredulously. Laughing at her silly word.

She pushed him a little. "Do you want to hear or not?" He held up his hands in surrender. "And it's one of Herschel's words. Anyway, I didn't believe him at first, thought since he was an archangel nothing could touch him. But that night I was in the shower and I just got this pain in my head like someone was stabbing me over and over. My whole body felt like I was burning, stung like I was being pinched in a thousand different places. I didn't even realize I was screaming until Herschel broke the door down and put a hand over my mouth. He got me wrapped in a towel and took me to my room.

"He gave me a sedative the doctors had given him. I could see Beth in the hallway staring at me and trying not to cry. They didn't know what was wrong with me. But I felt like I was cracking up. It was like I was seeing this world and the cage all in one. Even with the sedatives, I didn't sleep that night. I finally did though and all my nightmares were filled with memories from hell.

"I went to therapy, but they didn't listen to anything I said. Just filled me full of drugs and set me loose on the world. It was hard at first, but I've healed. And believe me when I tell you, Sam, I am _not _the same person you think you knew before." She had fresh tears in her eyes when she looked up at him.

Sam nodded. "Alright. I believe you. My soul was in hell for a year."

"What?" she asked, looking at him again. "How?"

He quickly gave her a rundown of events, she stared at him with wide eyes. When he finished she gave a little smile. "Well, you, me and Dean. Team Devil Fire."

Sam laughed a little at that. "Didn't Dean tell you? He's even been to Heaven. And he just got out of Purgatory."

"Heaven? Like real Heaven?" He answered with a nod. "I wonder what that was like," she said in awe.

He smiled a little. "Exactly like you'd imagine it to be."

She looked at him in question and decided not to ask. "So do you think Dean's alright? Can't help but notice you're not running into the woods after him."

"He'll be fine at least a night," Sam said, hoping he sounded confident. "He survived a year in Purgatory he can survive one night out there. If he's not back by morning, I'm going after him."

"I'll go with you," she promised.

"Hey, Sam," Glen said, appearing from beside them. "Can you come back to camp, we need to talk?" He looked at Maggie apologetically.

"Yeah, sure," Sam said.

Maggie glared at their intruder and stood up. "I'm glad we had this talk, Sam." She smiled before turning away.

"Me too," he called after her with a small smile of his own.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as they were nearing the group.

"Just wait, I have to tell everyone together."

They entered the circle the group had formed. Carol immediately shoved a plate into Sam's hands with a reassuring smile and he took a seat near Andrea, who was sharpening her knife. She offered him a smile and the man felt his heart beat a little faster.

Glen was lingering just outside the group, looking as if he'd rather run and hide than say what he needed to say. "Hey, guys," he said, walking to face the group. "Barn's full of walkers."

* * *

Shane peeked through the boards, not believing what he was seeing. "You can not tell me you're all right with this," he huffed at Rick.

"No, I'm not but we're guests here. This isn't our land," Rick replied.

"This is our lives here," Shane snapped.

"Lower your voices," Lori cut in.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea added.

"It ain't right," said T-Dog.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, wanting nothing more than to wring Glen's neck for bringing this to everyone's attention. Too many people with differing opinions, talking all at one time. His head started to pound.

Shane continued talking, "We either gotta go in there, make things right or we just gotta go. We've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go!" Rick snapped.

"Why, Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter's still out there," Carol said, moving into the argument.

Shane put his hands to his mouth, almost laughing. "I think it's time we all just start to consider the other possibilities."

"Shane," Rick interrupted. "We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"We're close to finding this girl," Daryl said. "I just found her damn doll a few days ago."

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did, you found a _doll_."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Daryl yelled, coming toward him.

Rick and Shane spoke at one time, two voices conflicting. Finally Shane won out, he spoke to Daryl again, "Let me tell you something else, if she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife, geek ears around your neck she would run in the other direction!"

There was almost a fight then, Rick and the others struggling to separate the two men. Lori's palm slammed into Shane's chest, "Enough!" she ordered him.

"Did you all forget something," Andrea said, speaking up. "It's not just Sophia out there anymore." She shot a look at Sam, the rest of the group turning to look at him as well.

Shane let out an annoyed huff. "Let's look at this again. Daryl was out there a day and look what happened to him. Dean's been gone since yesterday morning."

"My brother's alive," Sam said. "You don't know what we've been through, the things we've done. Our whole lives we've had to struggle to survive, and we've always done it some way or another. Dean took care of me my whole life. He's out there, he's just fine, and he's coming back. Through hell or high water, he'll find a way back to me. He always has before."

"If your brother comes back here it'll be as a walker and he'll only be looking to take a bite out of your neck," Shane said.

Sam lost his temper at that, lunging forward to land a fist on Shane's cheek. The ex-cop swung back but Sam hit him again, splitting his lip.

"Sam!" Andrea screamed, grabbing his elbow and pulling him back. Daryl had his other arm. Rick and T-Dog had hold of Shane, yelling obscenities as he was pulled away. "Sam, calm down!"

Finally Sam stopped struggling and backed away, embarrassed that he'd lost his temper but blood boiling at Shane's words. "You don't know anything about me or Dean. He's coming back. Alive." He turned and stalked away, hearing Rick's voice talking to the others but he didn't care to hear it this time.

* * *

Carol's eyes scanned the tree line for the millionth time that day and she sighed. In the living room, she heard Rick and Shane talking.

"I think it's high time everyone realized Sophia is dead. Dean not coming back last night pretty much confirms it. I know Sam says he's tough but he's been out there twenty-four hours now. He ain't coming back," Shane said matter-of-factly.

"We don't know that," Rick protested. "We'll give him a little more time. If he's not back by noon, we'll go look for him."

"Count me out of that. I'm not going on a wild goose chase."

"Shane," Rick started.

"Don't 'Shane' me, _Rick_. You saw what happened to Daryl. He looks like he's been to hell and back and he was only out there for a day, who knows if he would have made it back if Dean hadn't helped him. Then Dean not coming back at all. What chance do you think Sophia has?"

Rick didn't have an answer for him. Finally he said, "If Dean doesn't come back by lunch, I'm going to look for him. You don't have to come if you don't want. I'm sure Sam, Andrea or Glenn would help look." He stood up and stomped into the kitchen, freezing when he saw Carol. His eyes dropped to the floor and he shifted awkwardly. "Carol-"

"It's okay, Rick. You didn't do anything."

"We're gonna find her," he said, repeating it like a mantra.

"Yeah," she said, blinking away tears. She pushed past him and went out the front door, ignoring Shane's stunned look as she passed him. Ignoring the looks she received from everyone, she went into the RV and sat down to have herself a good cry.

Despite Rick's advice to stay behind and rest, Daryl was gearing up to leave. If Dean and Sophia were in the woods, he was going to find them. Finish what he started. His crossbow in hand, we went to have a seat at the picnic table next to the RV to wait for Rick. He pulled a chunk of wood from his pocket and continued carving what he'd started days ago. It was pretty much finished, he just needed to keep his hands busy.

Merle had taught him to do this when they were younger. Daryl's hand was steadier than Merle's though, he had more patience. Merle could never finish carving something when he started. Ended up chucking it away or leaving Daryl to finish it.

Daryl turned the small totem over in his hand and sighed. He'd found a paper clip in Herschel's office earlier. Now he bent it and snapped it apart until he had a small ring that slipped easily into the little hole he'd made in the snout of the animal he'd carved. Next he pulled a string from his pocket that had originally been a shoelace. He tied a knot and held it up to judge the size. It would do, he supposed and shoved it into his pocket before anyone saw. There was still no sign of Rick and he was starting to get impatient.

No one seemed to be in a hurry to go in the woods, though. Fed up, he stood and went to the barn. Dean had helped him, so Daryl figured he owed him. He'd be damned if he was gonna leave him in the woods. Besides, he still believed Sophia was out there with him.

"You should be resting," Carol said coming into the stable behind him.

"I'm fine," he snapped.

"You need to heal," she said firmly.

"I don't care."

"Well, I do. Rick's going out later to follow the trail."

"Yeah, well I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing," he said, opening the stable door.

"No you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse," she said.

He didn't answer this.

"We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl." He froze and turned back to look at her as she whispered, "I don't."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The kid's own mother was giving up. The one person who should never lose hope, had. He took a few steps toward her, wondering if this was Ed's doing. "What?"

"I can't lose you, too."

Daryl turned away from her, grabbing the saddle and slinging it away from him. He wasn't sure why he was angry, just knew he had to get away from her. Pain shot through his side where the arrow had stuck him and she rushed forward to help him. He slapped her hand away and muttered an insult before stalking away. He felt bad, regretted the words as soon as he said them. But for the life of him, he couldn't make himself turn around and apologize.

Of course, he feared Sophia was dead. He hadn't admitted it to himself yet because he didn't want to believe it. He had to believe she was still alive and that Dean would find her.

* * *

**A/N: How did you like Castiel's entrance into the story? And just out of curiosity, what's everyone's thoughts on Sophia? Dead, alive or zombiefied? **

**Also, if anyone is interested, I have another Caryl fic I'm working on. (It's an AU, no zombies.) I'll be posting it in a few days or so, just keep an eye out. Thank you all so much for your reviews, I truly appreciate them! ~JLL**


	7. Angel With a Shotgun

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

* * *

**Chapter Seven-Angel With a Shotgun**

**"Get out your guns, battles begun,**  
**are you a saint, or a sinner?**  
**If loves a fight, than I shall die,**  
**with my heart on a trigger."**

* * *

Glen was lingering just outside the group, looking as if he'd rather run and hide than say what he needed to say. "Hey, guys," he said, walking to face the group. "Barn's full of walkers." The words tumbled out of his mouth, causing everyone to freeze.

Shane peeked through the boards, not believing what he was seeing. "You can not tell me you're all right with this," he huffed at Rick.

"No, I'm not but we're guests here. This isn't our land," Rick replied.

"This is our lives here," Shane snapped.

"Lower your voices," Lori cut in.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea added.

"It ain't right," said T-Dog.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, wanting nothing more than to wring Glen's neck for bringing this to everyone's attention. Too many people with differing opinions, talking all at one time. His head started to pound.

Shane continued talking, "We either gotta go in there, make things right or we just gotta go. We've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go!" Rick snapped.

"Why, Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter's still out there," Carol said, moving into the argument.

Shane put his hands to his mouth, almost laughing. "I think it's time we all just start to consider the other possibilities."

"Shane," Rick interrupted. "We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"We're close to finding this girl," Daryl said. "I just found her damn doll a few days ago."

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did, you found a doll."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Daryl yelled, coming toward him.

Rick and Shane spoke at one time, two voices conflicting. Finally Shane won out, he spoke to Daryl again, "Let me tell you something else, if she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife, geek ears around your neck she would run in the other direction!"

There was almost a fight then, Rick and the others struggling to separate the two men. Lori's palm connecting with Shane's chest, "Enough!" she ordered him.

"Did you all forget something," Andrea said, speaking up. "It's not just Sophia out there anymore." She shot a look at Sam, the rest of the group turning to look at him as well.

Shane let out an annoyed huff. "Let's look at this again. Daryl was out there a day and look what happened to him. Dean's been gone since yesterday morning."

"My brother's alive," Sam said. "You don't know what we've been through, the things we've done. Our whole lives we've had to struggle to survive, and we've always done it some way or another. Dean took care of me my whole life. He's out there, he's just fine, and he's coming back. Through hell or high water, he'll find a way back to me. He always has before."

"If your brother comes back here it'll be as a walker and he'll only be looking to take a bite out of your neck," Shane said.

Sam lost his temper at that, lunging forward to land a fist on Shane's cheek. The ex-cop swung back but Sam hit him again, splitting his lip.

"Sam!" Andrea screamed, grabbing his elbow and pulling him back. Daryl had his other arm. Rick and T-Dog had hold of Shane, yelling obscenities as he was pulled away. "Sam, calm down!"

Finally Sam stopped struggling and backed away, embarrassed that he'd lost his temper but blood boiling at Shane's words. "You don't know anything about me or Dean. He's coming back. Alive." He turned and stalked away, hearing Rick's voice talking to the others but he didn't care to hear it this time.

Without realizing where he was heading, he stopped in front of the Impala and leaned against the driver's side door. Inhaled deeply. For a moment, he let himself wonder why he'd gotten so angry at Shane's words. There was the very real possibility that Dean might not come back this time, despite Sam's words to Shane, this scared him. This world was unpredictable. Sure they had dealt with some scary shit in the past, he didn't think anything quite measured up to this. The fact that Dean could get overrun out there, be torn apart or bitten and turn were all very possible.

That is what scared Sam the most.

His big brother not coming back. He always had before, from Hell, from Purgatory. There was no other family of his left. Bobby was gone. Cas was gone. And though he wouldn't call her family, even Meg was gone. Probably Garth and Jody too, but he had no real way of knowing for sure. Dean was all he had left.

"You okay?" Andrea spoke, coming into his line of sight.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Shane's just…upset. Scared. He doesn't like the idea of walkers being so close to us," she said. "Dean will be fine."

Sam snorted. "We don't know that."

"Sam," she started.

He shook his head. 'I know. I guess, I'm just scared too. Dean's all I have left. If he doesn't come back…" he trailed off.

"I know the feeling." She moved next to him, leaning against the car as well. "I had a sister," she said, staring at the ground. "Amy. We were camping in a quarry outside of Atlanta, walkers came out of nowhere. We lost good people up there. Amy was in the RV, using the bathroom. Came out asking for toilet paper." She laughed sadly. "The walker bit her arm before she even saw it. I sat with her body all night until she turned. Then I put my gun to her head and I killed her." Andrea looked up at him then. "It was her birthday."

Sam looked at the ground. Birthdays didn't mean anything anymore, especially not to him. Dean had gone to hell on his birthday. Surprise! Hellhounds.

Andrea sniffled next to him. He reached out and placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling the blonde into his side.

"What I told Shane before," Sam said, staring off toward the group. Everyone was heading their separate ways now. "I meant it. Dean and I had a…unique profession."

"What did you do?" Andrea asked, still tucked into Sam's side and content to stay there.

"Exterminators," he said. She tilted her head back to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "I'll explain some other time. Anyway, it's kind of the family business. Our mom did it, dad did it, grandparents. Almost everyone we've ever known was in the business and died doing it. Just a couple of months ago our uncle, well, more like surrogate father, got killed. He was the only family we had left. Now he's gone, it's just me and Dean."

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"Mom died when I was six months old. Dad died a few years ago, on the job."

"And you won't tell me what this 'job' is?"

"Maybe some other time."

"I've seen your trunk, remember?" She gave him a grin, moving slightly away from him.

"I remember."

She laughed once. "Secrets cause cancer, you know."

"If that were true, Dean and I would be terminal or long dead by now."

Andrea laughed and held up her hands. "Okay, okay. Tell me later." She sobered up then. "I think Dean will come back, for what it's worth."

Sam nodded. "What about Sophia?"

Now she shrugged. "I'd like to think she's still out there. But you saw Daryl when he came back from his search. I don't know what chance she has out there. I'm not saying we give up though. Without a body to prove otherwise, I have to believe she's out there still."

"If she is, Dean will find her. It's what we do."

"I thought you said you were exterminators," she teased.

He shrugged. "Didn't say that was all we did."

Andrea smiled at him. "Come on, let's find Rick and see if he's ready to head out."

"Where?"

"Well, we have the trail Daryl found. We can follow it, have Daryl tracking and we'll find Dean. Hopefully Sophia too."

Sam pushed off the car and walked with Andrea toward the house. Glen and Maggie were seated on the steps talking. Beth and Patricia were keeping Carl occupied with a game of some sort on the porch. T-Dog joined Sam and Andrea as they reached the house.

"Do you know what's going on?" T-Dog asked Glen.

"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glen asked.

"He went off with Herschel. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."

"There you are," Daryl said, joining the group with Carol behind him. "What the hell?"

"Rick told us he was going on," Carol said.

"Dammit, isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail," Daryl said, pointing toward the woods. "Oh, here we go."

Shane was stalking toward them with a bag of guns on his shoulder.

"What's all this?" Daryl asked.

"You with me, man?" the ex-cop asked. Their scuffle from earlier apparently forgotten, at least for the moment.

"Yeah." Daryl accepted the shotgun offered to him.

"Time to grow up," Shane said loudly. "You already got yours?" he called to Andrea.

"Yeah," she said dismissively. "Where's Dale?"

"He's on his way."

"I thought we couldn't carry," T-Dog said. Sam was aware of this rule, but he and Dean hadn't given up their weapons, just concealed them from Herschel when he was around. It had been a long time since Sam had been unarmed and he wasn't about to give up his only means of defense in this world.

"Yeah, well we can and we have to," Shane spoke. "Hey, look, it was one thing standing around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe but now we know it ain't. What about you, man, are you gonna protect yours?" He approached Glen, offering him a shotgun as well.

Glen looked at Maggie before taking it.

"That's it. Can you shoot?" the man asked Maggie.

"Can you stop?" she replied. "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"We have to stay, Shane," Carl said, coming down the steps.

Lori appeared from the house. "What is this?"

"We ain't going nowhere, okay," Shane said. "Now look, Herschel, he's just gonna understand. Well he's just gonna have to. We need to find Sophia, am I right?" He knelt down to face Carl, offering him a gun. "I want you to take this, and keep your mother safe. Whatever it takes. You know how, go on and take this."

Lori stepped in. "Rick said no guns. This is not your call, this is not your decision to make."

Before Shane could reply, T-Dog said, "Oh shit." The group turned to see Rick and Herschel leading a pair of walkers into the yard.

"What is this?" Shane said under his breath, running toward them, the rest of the group followed.

"Why do your people have guns!?" Herschel yelled.

Shane went off on his rant then, shooting the walker Herschel was holding. No amount of pleading from Rick made him stop.

"Enough, risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Shane yelled. "For a man who isn't coming back! Enough living next to a barn full of things trying to kill us. Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before. If ya'll want to live, if ya'll want to survive, you gotta fight for it!" He turned and ran toward the barn.

Rick pleaded with Herschel to take the pole from him, pleading with Shane to stop but neither seemed to hear him. Shane opened the barn and the walkers came pouring out. Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, Daryl and Glen formed the firing line, shooting them as they came. Maggie had her hands on her father's shoulders in an effort to comfort him. Carol stood several yards behind them, silently crying. Sam put a hand on her shoulder and said over the gunfire, "She's not gone. Don't listen to him."

He knew he was one of the best sharp shooters they had, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Carol and join the shooting. Not when Herschel had been so against this, Rick had tried his best to prevent this but Shane hadn't listened. Sam could see Ed lingering behind them as well, having just joined the group when he heard the gunfire. He was glaring at Sam, seeing the hand that rested on his wife's shoulder. Sam wasn't worried about him.

After a minute, the gunfire ceased and they all stood staring at the pile of bodies. The blood splattered around. Air thick with dust. There was no sound now except the soft cries coming from Maggie.

Dean and Cas spent the night under a tree. Cas didn't sleep so he stayed up to watch over his human. When Dean awoke in the morning, the angel was staring at him.

"Enjoying the view?" Dean asked, willing his heart to stop beating so damn loud.

Cas cocked his head to one side. "What view?" He looked around. "These trees are very nice, I suppose."

Dean chuckled awkwardly, for once glad that Cas had missed the joke. "Let's go," he said, standing up. Carol had slipped some peanut butter crackers in his bag and he ate those quickly. His stomach growling for more.

"Man, what I wouldn't do for a bacon cheeseburger right now." He had more food in his bag, but he needed to save it in case he needed it later. "Or just a cheeseburger. Or a damn salad Sammy likes so much." He stepped over a fallen tree, Cas didn't answer him. "Cas?" Dean asked, turning around.

"I'm here," he said, a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong with you then? Why are we stopping?"

"Someone is praying to me."

"So? I thought a lot of people pray to you?"

"This is different." Cas listened close to the little voice in his head, Please dear Lord, let someone find me. I'm too tired to move. I can hear voices but I can't call out. The walkers might hear me, please God, don't let them hear me. Please let someone find me.

"She's nearby, she can hear our voices."

Dean's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he realized what was going on. "Sophia? Sophia! Can you make any noise at all?" When there was nothing, he turned to Cas, "Can you find her? Sense her at all?"

"I'm weak, Dean," he said but focused for a moment before leading Dean far into a patch of brush. There was a deer stand up in one tree, half a dozen walkers milling around the ground under it. Dean didn't need to be told that's where she was. He ran full speed, knocking the head off the walker closest to him before the others realized he was there.

"Sophia!" he called. "We're here to save you, just stay put right now." He thought he saw movement in the tree before he went for another walker, swinging the blade hard into the side of its head, digging a trench with the blade above its ear. He had barely pulled the blade out before he heard the little girl scream above him. Spinning around, he came face to face with a walker. Cas stabbed it in the back of the head and it fell. Dean nodded his thanks, Cas returned it.

There were still three more to be dealt with. Dean made quick work of two before turning to Cas. "Alright?"

The angel nodded. "You?"

"I'm fine." He turned and looked up the ladder, the little girl's terrified face peeked out through a doorway. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dean. Your mother sent me."

"My mom's okay?" she asked hopefully.

Dean nodded. "She's fine, just worried about you. Rick, Shane, Daryl, everyone have been out here looking for you. Can you come down?"

"I'm too tired," she said. "Do you have anything to drink?"

Dean nodded, quickly climbed up taking the ladder two rungs at a time, finding the little girl tucked away in the corner. Quickly, he went to her and heaved her up. Pulled the water bottle from his bag and gave it to her. She nearly dropped it, her hands were shaking so bad. Being out here for days without food or water, it was a wonder she was even alive at all. She took a long sip and her face clouded over.

"Hey, take it easy," Dean said. "You'll make yourself sick."

Her stomach heaved and she promptly threw up all the water she'd just drank. Dean curse, pulling her into his lap as she slumped over. "Cas," Dean called.

There was noise on the ladder as the angel made his way up. Dean switched her around to look at her face. "Your mother is going to be so happy to see you. She's gonna cry, just wait. You'll be getting hugs from everyone all night," he said soothingly but cursing himself at the same time for not finding her sooner. He hugged her close. "Cas, can you…you know…" he made wing motions with his hand.

The angel shook his head. "I told you, I used all of my energy to get to you. I just barely heard that girl praying."

There was a rustling in the woods below them. "We should get her home," Dean said. A moan answered his words. He locked eyes with Cas and pushed the girl into the angel's arms before pulling out his machete.

"What are you doing?" Cas questioned.

"Hush," Dean hissed. He peered out the doorway, looking into the clearing. A lone zombie entered his vision, creeping his way toward them. Dean scrambled down the ladder, kicking the thing away when it got too close and plunged the purgatory blade deep into its skull. He froze after pulling it out, listening close for the sounds of the undead.

"I think it was just the one." Dean turned in all directions, noticing for the first time that there were claw marks on the trees around the deer stand Sophia had been in. He also noticed a few bloody rocks lying on the ground. Quickly, he climbed up the ladder and peered into the space Sophia had been inhabiting. A bloody branch lay in the corner where he'd found her, how he hadn't noticed before he didn't know.

"Looks like she had to fight to get up there," Dean said, walking back to Cas. He pulled Sophia back to him. "What should we do?"

"What do you mean?"

Dean looked at the sky. "I don't know how comfortable I feel trekking through the woods with a little girl and a defenseless angel. Especially now she's unconscious. But, she might need medical attention."

Cas looked her over. "It's early enough, do you think we could make it back to the farm before night?"

Dean thought about it. "Yeah, we could."

"Well then, I will heal her to the best of my ability. Anything minor will be repaired, if there's anything serious there's nothing I can do." He touched two fingers to her head and closed his eyes. He exhaled deeply when his eyes opened.

Dean gave him a tight smile. Sophia stirred in his arms, her eyes widened when they focused on him. He clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sophia, don't scream. My name is Dean, remember? Your mom sent me." Slowly, he took his hand away and started to put her down.

She gripped his shirt. "No, don't put me down." Her legs wrapped around his torso, locking him in a death grip.

"It's okay, I got you." He hugged her, rubbing her back gently. "Are you okay, you hurt?" Though he knew she wasn't thanks to Cas.

She shook her head. "Take me to my mom," she begged with a sob.

"I will, we're going in just a minute. First, I want you to eat something okay? And drink some water, just a sip, though."

"Wait," she said before she took the bottle from him. "Can I…never mind."

"What?" Dean asked.

She paused. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Dean paled. "Alright." He climbed back to the ground and looked around. Whistled to let her know it was safe. "Go behind that tree. I'll wait right here." He reached into the bag on his back and handed her some napkins. She mumbled a thanks and went behind the tree. Dean stood guard for her, even after she came back and climbed up the tree.

He settled into the corner next to the ladder so he could see out, Cas positioned himself on the other side of the ladder in front of Dean. Surprisingly, Sophia settled next to Dean, pressing into his side. Placing his bag on her lap, he opened it up.

"Your mom put some sandwiches in here, and a few snacks." He handed her a chicken sandwich and an apple. His hand touched found something else in the space Carol had tucked his food away, he pulled out a bag of M&Ms. Sophia saw them and started to cry.

Dean allowed her to have most of the food and water. He wanted her to have all her strength for the hike back. She thanked him, and looked a little embarrassed that she'd eaten nearly all of his food. The bag of M&Ms lay on her lap unopened.

"Why did my mom give you this?" she asked.

Dean shrugged. "Guess she thought you would want them when we found you."

"They're my favorite," she said quietly.

"She told me."

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"They've been looking for you since you ran off. That's how they bumped into us as well, we all joined up at a church. Heard the bells ringing and they thought you might be there. They found us instead," Dean said with a little laugh. "Daryl's been out here every day looking for you. He found your doll earlier, almost died trying to get it back to your mom. I picked up where he left off and here you were."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"Causing so much trouble."

Dean shook his head. "You didn't cause any trouble."

"But I ran off-"

"You were scared, didn't know what to do. And you did what you thought was right at the time, acted on instinct. No one blames you for that. Believe me when I say, they're gonna be happy to see you're alright. Expect a lot of hugs, kid."

She smiled a little but it didn't last long. Tears filled her eyes when she looked back at him. "Don't tell my dad…"

"Tell your dad what?"

Her soft cries broke Dean's heart. "I was so scared. They were all on the ground down there, I was too afraid to get down. I was too afraid to move at all." She looked up meaningfully. "Even when I had to go to the bathroom." She looked down, ashamed. Dean understood then, she'd had to go to the bathroom in her pants. He sifted through his bag to see if he had anything for her, which he didn't.

"I wish I had something for you. Unfortunately I didn't pack my Wonder Woman underoos today." She smiled through her tears. "Why would you be scared to tell your dad that? He would understand."

"No, he wouldn't," she shook her head. "I haven't wet the bed since I was 5. But last year I got the flu and one night mom gave me some medicine to help me sleep. I wet the bed. Dad got so mad at me…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Did he hit you?" Dean demanded, Cas looked up when he heard the growl in his voice.

"No, he hit mom. If I did anything wrong, mom got punished for it. He says I'm his princess." She started to cry then and Dean had no idea what to do. Awkwardly, he patted her back until she calmed down.

"What do you say we break open that bag of M&Ms? Get a party going in here."

Sophia wiped her eyes. "A party? What are we celebrating?"

"Our health," Dean joked. She only stared at him. "That joked would have killed back at the farm."

Now Sophia did laugh. She tore open the bag and gave Dean a small pile of the colored candies. She surprised him when she gave Cas a handful as well. Cas surprised him when he ate them and thanked her.

Sophia looked up at him. "I'm feeling okay, can we go back now?"

Dean and Cas looked at each other. "I guess so, yeah," Dean said, standing up.

"Will they accept me there?" Cas suddenly blurted.

"They should. If they don't, we'll leave."

"No!" Sophia yelled. "You have to stay with us."

Dean hushed her gently. "It's not up to us. If the group says they don't want us there, we can't stay. And we'll be fine on our own."

"But I don't want you to go," she protested.

"We'll figure it out, okay," Dean said gently. "First let's focus on getting you back to your mom. He stood quietly beside the ladder. "Do you hear anything?" he asked the angel.

"A few noises. Nothing we can't handle," he said.

On their hike through the woods, Cas held onto Sophia's hand. She wanted to hold Dean's but since he had the weapons and needed a free hand she settled for Cas. Dean kept turning his head to look back at her, keeping a check on their entire surroundings.

They had just crossed the creek, not too far from the farm, when the sounds of moans and leaves rustling hit his ears, Dean stopped and held up a hand for Cas to do the same. The angel pushed the little girl behind a tree and used his body as a shield for her, silently waiting for the okay from Dean.

Dean carefully peeked around a tree, spotting two walkers right away but he thought he heard more. He moved up behind another tree for a better vantage point and froze. About ten walkers were gathered in a clearing. A deer carcass lay on the ground, picked nearly clean. Blood was splashed around the dirt like a horror movie.

Behind him, Cas hissed his name. He held up a hand to silence him without turning around. They needed to find a way past these walkers without alerting them. He heard Cas moving behind him and Sophia screamed. Panicked, Dean spun around. Three walkers had come out of nowhere behind them. That's probably what Cas was calling to Dean about.

He ran over and swung his blade at the walker closest to him, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere in the process. Sophia was against the tree, Cas was pulling his angel blade from another walker's skull. Dean quickly took down the other one and grabbed onto Cas' arm. The walkers from the clearing were making their way over.

"Cas, you take this girl and run. Go straight that way." He pointed to his left and shoved his bag into the angel's hands. "Follow the trail back."

"Dean, I will not leave you here," Cas said.

"We don't have time for this shit, Cas, just go!" He gave the angel a push. They shared a long look before Sophia grabbed Cas' hand and the pair took off. Dean turned and ran to his left, nearly knocking the head off a walker there. He smiled to himself as he leapt over a log and toward the snapping jaws of another walker.

Cas didn't get more than a few steps before he stopped, pushed Sophia behind a tree and handed her his angel blade. "Do not move," he commanded. She nodded but he turned away. The angel assisted in helping his hunter with the walkers.

"I told you to go, Cas," Dean said when they had all been killed.

"I know, but I wasn't going to leave you again," the angel said.

Dean's face scrunched up. "Leave me again? What are you talking about?"

There was a gunshot in the distance and their heads snapped in that direction. Another followed right after and then another. The two looked at each other. "That's in the direction of the farm," Dean said, running toward Sophia. "Come on!" he yelled, grabbing her hand. They ran through the woods, toward the gunshots. Sophia began to get tired and Dean found he was pulling her more than she was actually running. He stopped and lifted her up, handing his blade to Cas. Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. When she buried her head in his neck, he could feel her tears.

"It's gonna be okay," he promised as he ran. Somehow, he added. I'm going to make it okay.

Dean nearly tripped over a log as he felt himself getting tired. Cas lifted Sophia up and hugged her to him. "I've got her," he said, offering his hand to Dean.

The human picked himself up, embarrassed at his slip up. There was a moan behind him and he groaned. "Cas, run."

-line break-

When they broke the tree line, Cas could see the barn doors open and everyone gathered in front of it. A line of people he didn't know all firing at something he couldn't see. Sam was standing behind them with a hand resting on a woman's shoulder. He kept a tight grip on Sophia as they ran forward. They all stopped firing and no one moved.

"What the hell are you all doing?" Cas yelled, coming into their view. "You trying to alert every walker in a hundred mile radius?"

Everyone's heads snapped up at his voice and shock filled their expressions.

"Sophia?" Carol said softly, coming forward. The little girl lifted her head up and turned around.

"Mommy?" Cas put her down and she ran into her mother's arms, both of them sobbing.

"Castiel?" Sam asked, coming forward. "Where the hell did you come from? And where's Dean?"

"Yeah, where's Dean?" Daryl asked, coming up next to Sam with his gun raised.

"He's a friend," Sam snapped, pushing the barrel away.

"Where did you come from?" Rick asked. "Why did you have that little girl?"

"He was with us in Atlanta," Sam answered. "We got separated. Where is Dean?" he asked again, eyes scanning the area the pair had come.

"My name is Castiel," the angel said to the group. "Sam, I don't know where he is. He found me, or I found him, I don't know. We found the girl and started back. We all heard the gunshots and Dean said that it was coming from the farm. We all ran, but he tripped. When he got up, there were…walkers? That's what Dean called them." He shook his head. "He told me to run. Get the girl back to her mother. That's what I did."

Sam put his hands over his face. "Where did you leave him? Show me." He checked to make sure his gun was loaded and his knife was in his belt.

The women came over to them now. "Who's this?" Andrea asked.

"Where's Dean?" Carol asked, still hugging her daughter. Daryl stood awkwardly next to them.

"There were walkers, mom," Sophia said. "Dean told Cas to run. Why did he do that? Why couldn't he have come too? We could have ran faster than them."

"They would have followed the scent," Shane said. "You'd have led them all straight back here. Dean did the right thing to get you out safe."

Rick cut in, "Carol, why don't you take Sophia inside. Have Herschel look her over." He glanced at the newcomer. "Cas was it?"

"Castiel," the angel corrected. No one called him Cas but Dean.

"Why don't you go as well." Rick nodded toward the house. Sophia grabbed his hand and pulled him along, telling her mother how Dean had shared his food with her.

"I'm sorry, is he staying here now too?" Lori snapped. "We have enough people to feed, Rick, food is spread thin enough as it is."

"What are we going to do about Dean?" Andrea said, interrupting Lori's rant. She received a glare for it.

"I'm going after him," Sam said, heading to the Impala to gear up.

"Sam, wait," Andrea said, rushing forward to grip his elbow. He shook her off.

"Might as well stay here, Sam, he's as good as dead out there," Shane said.

"He's my brother. And I'm not leaving him out there to die."

"I'm going too," Andrea announced.

"Me too," Glenn agreed.

Rick nodded. "Count me in."

"Rick, no," Lori said. "Carl needs you here."

"I think you should stay too, Rick," Shane cut in. "Need to keep an eye on the new guy."

Sam huffed impatiently. "I really don't give a fuck what you do. Anyone who is coming meet me at the Impala in five minutes. I'm leaving then, with or without you." He spun around and stormed away. Andrea and Glenn headed off the next instant. Rick turned toward his wife and Shane, feeling torn. He headed inside feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Sam!" The man in question turned to see Daryl limping across the yard, with his crossbow in hand. "I'm coming with you."

"What are you doing out?"

Daryl shrugged. "Got enough rest last night, I'm fine."

Sam fought a smile. "Alright then, let's go."

Andrea was sprinting toward them, Glenn a few steps behind. No words were exchanged as they headed toward the woods.

Dean sighed heavily, breathing rapidly. He leaned against a tree for a moment. He looked back and saw the walkers still coming. There were too many to count. A herd, Rick had called them. He took another deep breath and took off running again. Ahead of him, he heard voices coming toward him.

"Dean!" Sam yelled when he saw him.

"No! Go back!" Dean yelled. "We have to leave!"


	8. Vendetta

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight-Vendetta**

**In light of my ability to feel denial  
I walk away from everything with just a smile  
The Agony of Coming Home has gone away  
It's Everywhere / It's Everyone / It's Every Day**

**ARE YOU READY FOR THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE**

* * *

The group's eyes widened when they saw the number of walkers just yards behind Dean. Sam raised his gun and shot a few that were too close to Dean. Andrea and Glen followed suit, shooting a few of them down.

"We have to warn the others," Andrea yelled over the noise. They started moving back toward the farm, taking shots when they could.

Dean found himself running next to Daryl. "Didn't you get impaled? What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't track you without me," Daryl responded, nodding toward Andrea, Glen and Sam.

Dean gave him a smile. "Thanks."

They sprinted across the field, screaming to Rick and the others in warning. Shane, Rick and T-Dog picked up their guns. The women bustled around, packing everything they could and began piling it into cars. Herschel stood awkwardly on the porch, uncertain what to do.

Maggie began pulling him toward the steps when the first of the herd came through the trees. "We have to go, we can't stay."

"This is my farm, and I'll die here," Herschel said.

"Daddy, no," Beth sobbed. Patricia bolted into the house and began gathering up things they would need. Gunshots, screams and shouts filled the air. Panic and confusion were felt all around. Carol and her newly reunited daughter clung to each other in front of the house. Carol wanted to help but was too afraid to let her go of Sophia. Daryl reached them and pushed them towards the cars, where the other women were gathering.

"We're gonna have to leave, the size of that herd would tear the house apart," he said. Knowing they would be the safest with Dean, he stopped next to the Impala and opened the back door.

The little girl climbed into the back, one hand clutching her mother's shirt. "Stay safe," Daryl said before shutting the door. The girls watched him run toward Rick, who was pushing Carl toward the safety of the cars. Lori was in front of one of the trucks screaming for her son.

Carol hugged her daughter tightly to her. The door opened and her head nearly hit the roof she jumped so high. Andrea slid into the back seat, tears flowing from her eyes. "Patricia went down." The way her voice shook when she said it, Carol didn't want to know anymore.

Sophia sobbed. Carol covered her own mouth.

The front doors opened and the brothers hopped in. Hands slammed against the window as soon as the doors were closed. Sophia sobbed and hugged her mother tighter. The Impala roared to life and Dean threw it into drive, plowing forward through a crowd of walkers. He maneuvered the car around and shot down the long driveway past even more walkers. Dean turned onto the road away from the chaos behind them. After driving a few moments, they didn't see any undead around.

"Everybody okay?" Dean asked.

"Just peachy," Andrea answered.

"Dean," the blonde said suddenly. "You've gotta turn around. Get back to the highway we lost Sophia at. That's where they'll all go."

Dean slowed down. "Just tell me where."

"Did Cas make it out?" Sophia asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, he did," Sam answered. "He's with your dad, I'm sure."

"Does anyone know who all went down?" Carol asked. "Besides Patricia, I mean."

"Patricia?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Andrea answered. "Beth was holding on to her and she was grabbed. Lori had to pull Beth away or they would have gotten her too."

"Jimmy went down too. The RV got overrun," Dean said.

Andrea's blood ran cold. "The RV? Is Dale-" she stopped. Couldn't force herself to say the words.

"I don't know," Dean said. "He wasn't in the RV, though. Jimmy was in there by himself. Honestly, I couldn't pay attention to anyone. All I know is me and Daryl were running, then I was with Cas and he ran off to get the kid and then there was Sam, I don't know anything about anyone else."

"What kid? Carl?" Andrea asked.

Dean slammed his hand on the steering wheel. "That kids needs an ass whipping. He doesn't listen to anyone."

"Why? What happened?"

Dean looked at Carol in the rearview and said nothing. Andrea pointed out the area of the highway they had been camped on. Seeing Carol's Cherokee there along with the SUV, the truck and Daryl's bike. Everyone gathered there jumped up when they heard the Impala's engine.

Cas and Dean locked eyes, sharing a nod. The angel slowly made his way over to his hunter. Andrea ran toward Dale, hugging him and crying into his shoulder.

"Alright," Dean said. "What the fuck happened back there?"

Rick ran a hand through his hair. "Too much to say, I think. We were just discussing that. Jimmy, Patricia and T-Dog went down."

Daryl looked up then, glancing around the group. Carol and Sophia were still sitting in the Impala, Ed glaring at them.

"So what do we do now?" Dale asked. Andrea had gravitated back toward Sam.

"Look for somewhere else to stay," Shane said.

"It'll be dark soon," Lori said, glancing at the sun that was just beginning its descent.

Rick stepped in. "We'll look for something that will hold us just for tonight. Start looking for something more permanent in the morning." He went to the car and pulled out the maps. "Herschel, Daryl," he called. "Any ideas?"

The men pored over the maps for a little bit, everyone else standing awkwardly. Beth and Maggie held onto each other, mourning their losses.

"Alright," Rick said, turning around. "Herschel says there's a few farmhouses just that way." He pointed in the opposite direction of the farm. "We're gonna check it out. It should do for tonight at least. Load up."

"Carol," Ed called out. "Come on with me." The woman hugged Sophia tighter.

Dean stepped in front of Carol and opened the back door. Ed protested behind him but one look from Daryl and he shut up. She mouthed a thank you to the man on the motorcycle and he nodded back in response. Castiel slid into the back seat next to them as Sam and Dean got into the front. Andrea looked like she wanted to come with Sam, but followed Dale to the SUV instead.

Rick led them to the house Herschel had pointed out. The women waited in the cars while Rick, Shane, Daryl, Sam and Dean went inside. Glen and Dale stood outside, keeping watch.

Rick came out first. "There were a few in there but it's clear now," he said to the men outside the door. "Sam and Dean are taking the bodies out the back door. We've got a big living room where we can all sleep if no one wants to be split up."

Everyone picked a corner of the room to sleep in and started to lay down sleeping bags.

"Carol," Rick said, approaching her. "We want Sophia to take a bed upstairs. After everything she went through she needs her rest."

The woman looked at her daughter and nodded. "Okay, she and I will take one." She picked up her sleeping bag.

Rick didn't miss that she hadn't included Ed. He tipped his head and he showed her to a room.

"Rick," Carol said, catching him before he disappeared. "Is there anywhere for her to wash up at? She didn't exactly get a chance to at the farm."

"We haven't looked around. Can you give me a few minutes and I'll let you know?" When she nodded, he took his leave. Lori returned a bit later and led them outside.

"There's a stream back in the woods, but Rick didn't want anyone going that far out this close to dark. So Daryl and Sam filled this tub up for you." Lori pointed to the large metal tub on the ground. "It's very cold, so you may not want to get in it. I'll tell the others not to come out here."

"Lori," Carol said. "Rick will probably want someone on watch out here. Tell him to send Andrea. She won't make Sophia uncomfortable."

"I will," Lori promised with a smile. Andrea came out a minute later and sat on the steps. Sophia started toward the tub again.

"Wait, sweetie. I'll go get you some clothes and a towel," Carol said. She went back inside to their temporary room and gathered some things for her daughter. Silently, she gathered Sophia's clothes and hugged them to her chest, tears forming in her eyes. She'd been so worried she wouldn't see her daughter again and she had come back to her. Just getting clothes for her daughter brought her such joy.

Lori handed her a towel when she walked through the house and she went back out to Sophia. Andrea and Carol chatted softly while Sophia bathed. The little girl was getting dressed when Ed came out the back door with Sophia's dirty clothes in his hand.

"What are you doing throwing her clothes away?" he snapped, flinging the items at Carol. "Think we can just buy more for her?"

"She can't wear these anymore, they're too dirty, too many holes."

"Yeah, and they smell like piss." He pushed past Andrea, who darted into the house looking alarmed. Ed looked at Sophia. "Why your clothes smell like piss, girl?"

Sophia started to cry and looked down at her feet.

"She had an accident is all," Carol said calmly. The back of Ed's hand connected with her fist and she spun around, trying to catch her balance. Sophia screamed and ran toward her.

Ed came at her, hitting his little girl and knocking her to the ground before hitting Carol again. Rick came out the door looking murderous. Unfortunately for Ed, Shane reached him first. Andrea pulled Carol and Sophia away. Rick and Dale were yelling at Shane to stop.

Footsteps pounded behind them and Andrea turned to see Sam and Dean sprinting across the yard, Cas walking behind them. Sam held Ed while Rick and Dean had hands on Shane. "What the hell is going on out here?" Rick demanded to know.

Carol answered softly, "Sophia had an accident in the woods."

"What?"

Dean spoke up, letting Ed go, "When Sophia was in the woods she was up in a deer stand, walkers all around the tree. She couldn't get down. Not even to go to the bathroom." Everyone understood what he was saying.

"Ed didn't like it very much," Andrea said.

"What did you expect her to do? Ask the walkers to step back while she took a piss?" Maggie snapped, coming out of nowhere with Glen.

"Maggie," Glen said quietly, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"She can't pull her pants down and piss in a corner?" Ed snapped.

"She's a twelve year old girl, alone in the woods with a crowd of walkers waiting for her at the bottom of a ladder, maybe she was just a little too scared to risk them hearing her."

"Maybe her mother should have had a boy and she'd have been braver."

Dean gave him a little push and he stumbled backward several feet.

Andrea turned to Rick. "He needs to leave."

"Now, Andrea, calm down," Rick said.

"If I leave, my family is coming with me," Ed said loudly.

"The hell they are!" Andrea screamed. "I'd put a bullet in your brain myself before I let you take those girls anywhere!"

Sam put both hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from the group. Rick sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "Ed, why don't you go on back inside. Dale go with him."

He started to protest but the look on Dean's face shut him up. Andrea and Maggie took Carol and Sophia into the house. The group was silent, looking at each other. Daryl chose that moment to come out of the woods. He stopped instantly noting the tension.

"What's goin' on?"

Daryl took his crossbow off his shoulder and started toward the house.

"Hey, Daryl," Rick said.

"What?" he snapped.

"Before you go in there, you ought to know what happened." He briefly explained what Dean had told them. "Ed came out here before any of us noticed, pitched a fit. He hit Carol."

"Did he hit Sophia?" Daryl asked. Rick shifted uncomfortably. "Rick! Did he hit Sophia?"

"He slapped her, she's got a handprint on her cheek."

Daryl spun around, but was grabbed by Rick and Dean. "Daryl, don't. We will handle this." After a few moments he calmed down.

"Bastard hits his wife and daughter. That really the kind of man you want to keep around?" Daryl asked Rick.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. Tonight, we all need to get something to eat, get settled in. It's getting dark out."

Daryl nodded and the men all went into the house. Beth and Patricia had managed to save most of the food from the farm so Maggie was able to throw together a plate full of vegetables for them.

"Feel like I'm eating veggie stew," Dean commented to Sam, picking at a green bean.

"It's not so bad," Sam said, happily swallowing a mouthful of tomato.

Dean grimaced. Cas poured some of his food onto Sam's plate and the rest to Dean's since he didn't need it.

Andrea sat on the bed with Carol and Sophia, fuming as she looked at the handprint on Sophia's face. The urge to kill Ed might just be a little too much for her to resist.

Daryl eased himself into the room, hoping they wouldn't be sleeping just yet. Carol sat in the chair next to the bed. Sophia sat in the bed, her face still red from where Ed had hit her. She smiled seeing him come in the room and motioned for him to come to her. Daryl didn't miss the spark of fear in her eyes when he first opened the door. "Mom says you looked for me, every day."

He nodded. "I did." She smiled at him before throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you for bringing me back to my mommy."

Daryl cleared his throat and stepped back. "It was Dean who brought you back."

"Hey, you gave me the starting point," Dean said from the corner. "I just followed what you already had in place."

Sophia's face scrunched up and she turned to her mother. "Are men always like this? Tell a man thank you for saving your life and he wants to give another guy all the credit." She sighed exasperated.

Daryl fought a smile, looking over at Dean, who was doing the same. Carol laughed outright. "Only the good ones do that, that's how you know they're good." She smiled at Daryl, for the first time since he'd met her there was a real light in her eyes.

"Wasn't nothing," he said quietly.

"Daryl," Sophia warned, trying out a grown up voice. "Stop it."

He had to smile at her. "Yes, ma'am."

She demanded another hug before he left. Sophia ate her food and fell asleep with her head in her mother's lap. Throughout the house,

everyone else began turning in. Dale sat on the front steps keeping watch, Glen on the back steps. For the moment, everything was quiet.

* * *

The next morning, Sophia's room was a buzz of activity. People coming in to see her and give hugs before being ushered out so she could rest. Daryl came in while she was asleep. Carol put a finger to her lips as he rounded the bed to sit next to her on the small couch.

"What are you doing up?" Carol whispered. "You should be resting."

"Restless," he said with a shrug. "How's she doing?"

"She's just fine. Thanks to you and Dean. You two make a good team."

"We ain't no team."

"You kind of were. You found her doll and gave Dean the area to search. I know if you hadn't been impaled by your own arrow you wouldn't have come out of the woods until you found her. I'm just thankful Dean had been there. If he hadn't found you, she might still be lost," Carol said, stopping there.

Daryl heard a wrapper crinkling in her hands and he looked down. "Whatcha got there?"

Carol held up a bag of M&Ms. "Dean's idea." She told him the story of the pharmacy, even mentioning the Milky Way he'd gotten for Sam. "I slipped a bag of gummy worms into his laundry the other day. He takes so much time taking care of Sam I don't think he gets to treat himself."

"How'd you know?"

"Just a feeling."

Daryl nodded. "Almost reminds me of Merle. Being a pain in the ass, trying to take care of me all the time. After our mom died he wasn't around much, left me taking care of myself."

"I'm sorry," Carol said.

He shook his head. "Long time ago."

"What happened?"

Daryl turned away for a moment and looked back at her. When he spoke, he stared straight ahead. "She liked her wine. Also liked to smoke in bed. Merle was gone so I could play outside with the other kids. They all had bikes though, I didn't. We were playing down the street, heard the sirens. They all took off, hoping to see something worth seeing. I ran after 'em, but I couldn't keep up. Ran around the corner, saw all my friends looking at me. Hell, I saw everybody looking at me. Fire trucks everywhere. It was my house they were there for." He stopped there.

Carol couldn't help it, she put a hand on his knee. They both froze and after just a few seconds she snatched her hand back. She cleared her throat. "You and Dean have more in common than you think."

"Why's that?" he shifted uncomfortably.

She told him what Dean had told her that day in the pharmacy. "He had to carry Sam out. They stood in the yard with their dad, watching their house burn down, knowing their mom was inside." She noticed Daryl shift uncomfortably and placed a hand on his arm this time. "You're more like them than you think."

"At least Dean takes care of Sam," Daryl said. "Merle didn't ever bring me candy home. Ate whatever I could find. Sometimes had to hunt my own food, Merle just came in and took what I had. Didn't care 'bout me."

"I'm sure he did in his own way," Carol suggested. Daryl thought this over in silence, remembering all the "lessons" Merle had given him.

"You're not wrong," he said finally.

There was a light tap on the door and Dean poked his head in. "Are you busy?"

"Come on in," Carol said, waving her hand.

He looked at Sophia, sleeping on the bed as Sam shut the door behind him and Cas. "Just wanted to come check on her."

"She's fine, just resting."

"Well, not with all you people in here," the little girl said, sitting up. Carol bolted to her side, "Honey, don't sit up." Sophia pushed her hands away.

"I'm fine."

Carol backed away with her hands up. "Okay, okay." She smiled. "Honey, you didn't get to meet Rick and Shane chose that moment to enter the room.

"Sophia," Rick started. "If you're feeling up for it, we'd really like to know what happened out there. Dean told us about the place you were found, we're curious to know how you're holding up."

"What do you mean?" Carol asked, she hadn't heard anything.

"It's nothing bad, Carol," Rick said calmly.

"She was up in a deer stand. There were walkers around when we got there. At first I didn't notice the scratches on the trees, blood on the ground, bloody rocks laying around. Not to mention the bloody tree branch," Dean explained.

Carol gasped. "Why didn't I hear about this before?"

"She came back safe, I didn't see any reason for you to worry over nothing when you just got her back. Didn't want to be a killjoy, I guess."

Sophia sat up in the bed, all eyes on her now. "After Mr. Rick left to draw the walkers away from me, I waited just like he said but when he didn't come back I tried to come back to the group. There was a walker and I ended up running in the wrong direction. I thought I lost it at the creek, but then it came out of nowhere and grabbed at me. I fell over a tree but I got up and ran."

"That's where I found her doll," Daryl interjected.

Sophia smiled, eyeing her dirty toy on the table next to her. "I just ran and ran, I didn't know where I was. When it got dark I got even more scared. I could hear them around me but I couldn't see them. I guess I wasn't very quiet out there, I was crying and stepping on every stick in the forest it seemed like."

Carol sat down on the bed and put an arm around her daughter when she saw the tears forming. Sophia sniffled but plowed ahead. "I stumbled into a sort of clearing. There was a big bag full of rocks under a tree. I picked them up, but I didn't know why at the time. It was heavy so there was no way I'd have been able to swing it but I took it anyway.

"Before the sun went completely away I saw the stand up in the trees and figured that would have been the safest place. So I started to it, when I climbed over this fallen tree, I tripped and fell right into a walker. I fell on top of it and it started to grab at me. It pulled at my shirt." She tugged at her new shirt.

"I dropped the bag on its head a few times, it stopped grabbing at me and I ran off. But I screamed before when he grabbed me and the other walkers heard. When I got to the deer stand they started coming out of the trees. I threw the rocks at them when they started to climb up the ladder. The tree branch was already up there, so I used that to poke one that got halfway up the ladder. I stayed real quiet and just kept praying they went away," she told them.

"They were there all night and all the next day but they quit trying to get up the ladder. I didn't move at all." She looked up at her mother. "Even when I had to go to the bathroom." Quickly, she looked down at her lap and blinked away her tears. Carol tightened her arm around her shoulders. Daryl's hands clenched into fists.

"I tried to sleep but I was too scared. Then I heard Mr. Dean and Mr. Cas talking, I kept praying for them to find me. I guess they saw the walkers still around the tree I was in and they came after me. Mr. Dean gave me water but I threw it up and passed out. I woke up and Mr. Dean got me out of the tree. She looked up at Dean now. "I saw you kill that walker and I was a little scared because I didn't know where you were taking me. But then I heard you say Cas was an angel and I knew you'd come to save me." She smiled.

Dean, Cas and Sam shifted uncomfortably until the attention was off of them once again. Sophia continued, "Dean gave me almost all the food and water. And the M&Ms."

"You got them?" Carol asked with a smile.

Sophia nodded. "Dean and Cas ate some too. I figured it was only fair." Carol started to cry a little.

"Well, Sophia, we're glad you're safe," Rick said. "Daryl, we can't thank you enough for tracking her down. And Dean for finding her and Cas for getting her back safe. It seems this was a group effort and you all deserve credit and thanks."

Cas said a short thank you while the other two men shifted uncomfortably. Carol couldn't help but smile at how alike they were.

"I guess we better get out of here," Shane said. "Let these ladies rest. We're gonna start looking for a new place to stay so we may be heading out today or tomorrow."

Carol nodded in response and looked back to Sophia. The men all filed out one by one, Daryl lingered at the door a moment, staring at his feet.

"What's the matter, Mr. Daryl?"

He looked up at her. "How 'bout we drop the 'Mr.' and you just call me Daryl, yeah?"

"Okay. What's the matter, Daryl?"

Daryl smiled at her. Still staring at his feet, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace with the totem he'd carved. He placed it on the nightstand next to her and backed away.

"It's an alligator," he said, in case she couldn't tell. "The Indians believed they symbolize stealth and fighting for survival. I figured after what you went through out there that fit you just right."

"Thank you, Daryl," she said softly. "It's beautiful."

"Welcome." He shut the door behind him, still not meeting her eyes. Carol wiped the tears from her eyes as she helped Sophia slipped the necklace over her head.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for an update hope you enjoy! ~JLL**


	9. Demons

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Demons**

**_"When the curtain's call_**  
**_Is the last of all_**  
**_When the lights fade out_**  
**_All the sinners crawl"_**

* * *

Sophia was allowed out of her bed the next day, having been medically cleared by Herschel and parentally cleared by her mother. Rick had quietly talked with the men and had agreed no one leave Ed alone. Someone was always in the room with him, no exceptions. He was allowed to see Carol and Sophia, not that either of them wanted to see him anyway. Carol was upset he'd laid a hand on her daughter. Sophia was upset he'd hit her mother. Even though Ed was annoyed by the constant presence of someone hovering over him, there was nothing he could do about it.

The group was still in the house Herschel had led them to. Rick, Shane and Daryl were poring over maps in the living room, looking for their next place of refuge. Ed was sitting in the corner, scowling. Herschel and Beth were in the room as well, listening to their conversation and adding to it when they could.

Sam, Dean and Andrea were seated at the dining room table cleaning their guns. Cas was seated next to Dean, just watching and occasionally asking a question. Mostly he felt calm just being in Dean's presence. Dean found himself rolling his eyes at Sam and Andrea's flirting.

Maggie and Glen had snuck off to an upstairs bedroom for some alone time. Dale was on watch out front, like usual. Carol was in the kitchen, rounding up food for a meal. Sophia and Carl were playing in the yard where Lori was watching them. Though she had to strain her ears, Lori was listening to everyone's conversations. Sam and Andrea's flirting, Cas and Dean's quiet lessons, Shane and Rick's arguing, Daryl settling it. Her ears pricked up when she heard her name. Quietly, she moved through the house and paused outside of the living room to listen.

"What we need to look for, Shane, is a place to stay for the winter," Rick was saying. "This whole moving around thing isn't going to last much longer. Lori will be getting further along in her pregnancy, she won't be able to move around much and it will be that much harder to protect her."

She felt her anger build up inside of her and she stepped into the room. "Are you saying it's a chore now to protect me? Am I some burden you carry on your shoulders now?"

Daryl rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, waiting for her bitch fit to pass. Shane glanced awkwardly at Herschel and Beth. Rick sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face. "That's not what I meant, at all. I only meant that we're spread thin enough as it is. We have enough people to worry about and I can't worry about just you all the time. There's a whole group of people here who need me."

"If you don't worry about me, then who?" she snapped. She knew the answer to that question. He was right in front of her, seated to the left of her husband.

"I do worry about you, Lori-"

"Just too much, right? You worry about me so much it'll impede your judgment?"

"No, Lori, listen. You're pregnant. In a few months when your stomach is bigger, you won't be moving around so easy, and you know it. This group has enough problems right now."

Lori started to cry. "So I'm a problem? Is Carl a problem too?"

"No," Rick started but she stormed out the front door. He covered his face, cursing himself. Just couldn't seem to say anything right.

"You're right, Rick," Herschel spoke up. "All this moving around, won't be good for her. There's enough stress involved in pregnancy without her having to worry about where we'll be staying next."

"Thank you," Rick said. "Tell that to her." Sitting down, he looked back at the maps. He didn't miss how Shane looked in the direction Lori had gone.

* * *

Carl had noticed when his mom went into the house. She had been gone a few minutes when he started looking around to see if anyone else was watching him and Sophia. When he decided there weren't, he moved toward the trees.

"Where are you going?" Sophia asked.

"Come on," he said.

"We shouldn't go in there."

"We'll be fine." He gripped the handgun he'd stolen from Daryl's bag.

Sophia scampered along behind him. "Carl, you don't know what's out here. I've been out here before I do. We're not safe."

"If you're scared, go back," he said heatedly. "Quit talking my ear off."

"I'm not gonna let you get your stupid ass killed," she shot right back.

Carl's eyes widened from the ferocity of her tone. He didn't say anything else to her, they walked in silence for a few minutes. They stopped when they heard movement.

"What's that?" Sophia whispered. Her hand gripped Carl's bicep, ready to pull him in the direction of safety if needed.

Carl moved forward, dragging Sophia with him. "Sounds like it's coming from over here."

The kids moved forward a little more. Sophia froze in place when she saw the source of the noise. A walker was stuck in the mud next to the little stream. It noticed them, snarling and snapping its jaws at them.

"Carl, let's go back," Sophia said, tugging on his arm.

He yanked his arm out of her grasp. "We'll be fine. See?" He pulled Daryl's gun from his waistband.

"Where did you get that?!" she exclaimed. "You're not supposed to have that!"

"I got it off Daryl's motorcycle."

"You stole from Daryl?" she nearly yelled.

"Quiet!" Carl snapped, looking behind them for any adults from their group. He pointed the gun, hushing Sophia when she protested. Then he walked closer to it, the walker's hands just inches away from brushing the gun Carl held.

Sophia felt tears forming and her hand went to the alligator Daryl had carved for her. As if it was some sort of magic talisman, she could almost feel herself getting stronger as she ran her fingers over the fine lines. So when the walker's foot came free and Carl was knocked to the ground, she didn't hesitate. Picking up a sizeable limb lying on the ground, she picked it up and swung it at the walker's head. It connected hard and the walker fell away. Sophia dropped the limb and yanked Carl to his feet. A few feet away from the edge of the woods, Carl yanked his hand away from her again, causing her to stop.

"You have to promise you won't say anything to my parents," Carl said.

"We have to tell! That walker is really close to the house," she protested.

"We're gonna be leaving soon and it won't even matter. You have to promise, my dad will kill me."

She didn't like it- really didn't like it- but she nodded anyway and they went back into the yard. They had only been there for a few minutes when Lori came around the side of the house. Fearing they were both in trouble, they froze at the sight of her. Lori didn't seem to notice they'd left the yard though. "Come on, guys, we've been outside enough today." She waved them into the house, they followed silently. Sophia went into the kitchen with her mother, feeling the sudden urge to get far away from Carl.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Carol asked, rubbing her daughter's hair.

"Nothing," she answered quietly. Carol didn't believe her, but pressed a kiss to her hair anyway and went about her work.

Rick called everyone into the living room then for an announcement. "We've found a few places on the map we're going to check into. Since it's early, we can head out today. But, we want to scope the places out first. So, Glen and Maggie will head out to one place. Daryl and Dean to another, myself and Shane to the last."

"You can't all go," Lori interrupted. "Who will stay here with us?"

"Dale, Sam, Andrea and Castiel are all more than capable of protecting you all. This place seems safe enough for the night, we'll be back before dark."

"What if you're not though?" she protested. "You could get stuck out there, you could get lost, you could get overrun, the car could break down, run out of gas, anything."

"Lori," Shane cut in. "It'll be fine. I'll bring him back to you."

_He's not the one I'm worried about_, she thought. "Fine. Go." She retreated into the dining room, everyone glad to see her go.

Twenty minutes later, three cars were pulling away from the house. Lori was still fuming, stomping around the kitchen.

"You should have more faith in Rick," Carol commented quietly from the doorway.

"No offense, Carol, but this is none of your business."

"It becomes everyone's business when you undermine your husband's every decision in front of the entire group," Carol snapped.

Lori stepped away from her, shocked. Before she could respond there were screams in the backyard. They both rushed out the backdoor, nearly colliding with Andrea in the process. "Sophia!" Carol yelled for her daughter, who was next to her in a second.

"What's happening, mom?"

"I don't know." They crossed the yard together. Carol gaped at the scene before them, quickly turning Sophia around so she couldn't see. Dale was lying on the ground, his stomach split open. A walker lying a few feet away from him, a deep cut in its forehead. Sam stood over it holding a bloody knife. Andrea gave a strangled cry, her weapons fell to the ground. She went to her knees a second later, grabbing Dale's hand and she began to cry.

"He's suffering," she sobbed.

Sam stepped forward. Kneeled next to the old man and raised his gun. Andrea turned her face away so she didn't have to watch.

* * *

Dean and Daryl were sent to check out the old preschool building he claimed both of his daughters had attended, though Dean knew it had only been Beth that had gone there. They moved through the building easily enough, looking into each classroom. They'd had to take down a few walkers, the majority of them were just children.

They were heading back out to the Impala, throwing their gear in the trunk. They'd found a few useful items inside. "Well," Dean started. "What do you think? Is this the right home for us?"

Daryl shrugged, ignoring his teasing tone. "Might be alright. Far back enough from the road, no one would think to stop in there right away. It's good and strong, but all those windows. I don't know." He shook his head. "Plus it's right in town here."

Dean sat on the trunk and nodded. "At least we cleaned it out of anything useful." They'd found baby formula inside with bottles and a few articles of baby clothes and blankets that Lori would need in a few months.

Daryl nodded his agreement. "Yeah, let's head back." He felt uneasy about leaving Ed with Carol. He didn't care if Andrea or Sam were there, he didn't trust the bastard.

They got into the car and began the drive back. To Dean's delight, Daryl didn't complain about the music like Sam did. When they pulled up at the farmhouse, they immediately knew something was wrong. Dean put the car in park and shut off the engine. Daryl had jumped out before the car stopped rolling.

Glen and Maggie had made it back in one piece, but Rick and Shane were still missing. Ed was sitting on the front steps, Andrea holding a gun on him. Carl was being held by Lori on the porch. Carol was sitting in the grass, holding Sophia to her chest. Beth had a hand on her shoulder. It seemed like everybody was crying or was about to start.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Daryl demanded.

Andrea turned a little, even she was crying he saw. Sam stepped up behind her and turned to Daryl and his brother.

"A walker came out of the woods, bit Ed," Sam explained, nodding to the man. "It killed Dale, too."

"Killed Dale?" Daryl asked.

Andrea nodded, not looking away from Ed. "He's gonna turn."

Daryl looked over at Carol and Sophia sitting in the grass. He glanced around, the group looked lost without Rick there and something had to be done before it was too late. Without a word, he stepped in front of Andrea, kneeling down to face Ed. "What do you want us to do?"

The man looked up, eyes glancing over the bite wound on his wrist. "Fucking end it," he spat. Andrea stepped forward with the gun but Daryl waved her away.

"Carol, Sophia," he called. "Ya'll got anything you want to say?"

Sophia cried into her mother's side, unsure what to do. Carol stood up and looked at her husband. "I don't know where it all went wrong," she said. "I just wish it hadn't gotten as bad as it did."

Ed grunted in response. Sensing the moment was over, Daryl spoke to Andrea. "Take 'em upstairs." She started past him and he grabbed her arm. "Keep 'em away from windows."

When the women were inside Daryl pulled his gun from his holster and stood back to look at Ed. "Come on." He nodded toward the side of the house. The infected man stood up and walked the last fifteen steps of his life.

Carol held Sophia tight to her, then pushed her in Andrea's direction. She turned and followed Daryl around the side of the house. He turned when he heard her. "I'll do it," she said when he opened his mouth to speak. "He's my husband." Ed settled his weight on the ground near them, grumbling that it didn't fucking matter to him.

Daryl stared at Carol for a moment, silently asking her if she was sure. Then he handed the gun to her and walked around the corner.

Carol looked at her husband, sadly. She sat down in front of him on the cold ground. Ed avoided her eyes while she stared at him. "I don't know where it all went wrong," she said finally.

Ed didn't say anything and still didn't look at her.

"You weren't always the way you were. I don't know why you changed. Or maybe you were like this all along and were just good at hiding it. Either way, I could never have seen us ending up the way we did."

"You never got what you didn't deserve," Ed said.

Carol winced internally. "I don't like the person you turned me into."

Ed rolled his eyes, opened his mouth like he wanted to say something then changed his mind. "I'm done talking."

"You haven't said anything."

"Cause I ain't got nothing to say. If you're looking for me to apologize you might as well forget it cause you ain't gonna get one. Go on and do it already."

Carol suddenly felt like crying. The gun in her hand weighed a hundred pounds. She blinked rapidly and stood up. Ed's eyes were losing their color, fading into the milky white of the dead.

* * *

Daryl was sitting on the couch across from Sophia. She was crying so hard her nose was running, snot dripped from her upper lip. She went into a fit of mixed sobs and coughs. Daryl wanted to comfort her but had no idea how. The shot echoed through the house and they knew it was done. Sophia's sobs stopped for a moment. Her face frozen, eyes open and still leaking tears. Then she started crying again until her mother opened the bedroom door.

"It's over," the woman said evenly. Daryl's heart constricted at her expression and tone.

Sophia looked up, her face wet with tears. "It's my fault," she sobbed. "It's my fault dad and Dale died."

"Honey, no," Carol started, she reached out for her daughter.

Sophia jerked away. "It is my fault!" She backed into the corner, as a pair of headlights lit up the room. Daryl looked out the window and said, "Rick and Shane are back." This seemed like a good time for him to leave.

"Wait, Daryl!" Sophia called him back. He almost cursed when he turned back in the room. The little girl looked at her feet, her hand coming up to close around the animal he'd carved for her. "Today, Carl and me were playing in the yard. Lori was supposed to be watching us. She went inside though and she didn't come back a few minutes so Carl went into the woods. I told him to come back because I know what's out there." She shivered. Carol shifted uncomfortably.

"I kept telling him we should go back, he didn't listen. There was a walker out there stuck in the mud. I tried to stop Carl from getting too close, but he pushed me away and pulled out a gun."

"A gun? Carl has a gun?" Carol asked incredulously.

"It's not his. He stole it. From Daryl," she said quietly, looking up him.

"I knew I had one missing," he said with a shake of his head.

"Carl kept taunting it, he threw rocks at it. The walker got free and came at him, it grabbed his ankle and he fell down. I grabbed a branch and hit the walker until Carl got away. Then we ran back here and Carl made me promise not to tell. He said we would be leaving here tonight anyway and it wouldn't matter," Sophia finished her story, breaking up in sobs. "It's my fault Dale and dad are dead. If I'd told someone about the walker, they could have gotten rid of it."

Carol grabbed her daughter and pulled her to her chest. "It's not your fault."

"Nah, it ain't," Daryl agreed. "It's Carl's. And it's high time his father had a talk with him." He whirled around and stormed down the stairs. Rick was in the front yard trying to get control over the situation that had erupted in his absence. He was discussing what to do with the bodies of their fallen group members.

"If you bury 'em, how bout have your kid help," Daryl spat, coming onto the porch.

Rick spun around. "Excuse me?"

Daryl walked to the top of the steps. "Ask Carl where that walker came from."

All eyes fell on the boy. Lori grabbed him and pulled him to her. "I don't know what this is about, but it needs to stop right now."

"Oh now you care about your kid?" Daryl snapped. "Where were you earlier when he went tromping into the woods with my gun? In the house arguing with Rick?'

She opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish. Rick put his hands over his face and looked at Daryl. "What is going on?"

"Sophia said Lori left them alone in the backyard today. Carl goes off in the woods, she tried to stop him but his stubborn ass wouldn't listen so she followed him. He stole a gun from me, started waving it around at the walker when it was stuck in the mud. Pelted rocks at it too."

"That can't be true," Lori said. "Carl wouldn't do that, Sophia got her facts mixed up."

"You calling her a liar?" Daryl yelled, coming off the steps. "If it weren't for her, your kid would be dead right now. We'd be putting him in the ground tonight instead of two of our men."

"That's enough!" Shane yelled.

Rick put his hands up before Shane could say anything else and looked at his son. "Carl? Is this true?"

Carl looked like he wanted to deny it, almost did. "Yes," he said finally.

Andrea snapped. "Rick, you need to do something about him. He doesn't listen to anything and now, two people have died because of him."

"You shut up!" Lori screamed at her. "This isn't his fault, it's no one's fault!"

A shouting match ensued between the women that very nearly got physical. Rick screamed at them until they stopped. He was pacing like a caged animal, thoughts whirling in his head.

"Alright, let's everybody stop and take a deep breath," he said. "First things first, Carl. Get the gun you stole and give it back to Daryl. Now!" The boy sprang into action, running into the house to retrieve it from his things. He started back to his mother but Rick grabbed him and knelt down. "I want you to listen to me and what I say better stick. From now on when an adult tells you something, you listen. It doesn't matter if it's me, mom, Daryl, Sam, Maggie or Beth. If someone tells you to stay in the house, you stay in the house. If you're told to run, you run. If you're told to help the women cook dinner, you help the women cook dinner. There is too much on the line here and we can't afford to have these mistakes. Understand?"

Carl nodded and Rick released him. The boy ran back to his mother and she hugged him tight. Rick stood up and looked around. "Daryl, Dean. Glen, Maggie. I need to talk to you all about what we found today. We'll decide on our next move then. Sam, I need you, Andrea and Castiel to do something about the bodies. Bury them out back if you can find shovels. Lori, take Carl inside and stay there. Both of you." He could not deal with either of their shit tonight. Nodding to Shane, they went to the SUV and looked over the maps.

Rick took a deep breath before he asked, "Daryl. Dean. How did the preschool look?"

"Pretty empty," Daryl said. "Near the road though. Didn't like that."

"Got some baby things though," Dean piped up. "Formula, blankets, clothes."

"Alright, thank you. Glen, Maggie. How about the storage unit?"

"It's got a lot of space, a ton of units we could go through for supplies. Sturdy too, it would be good against a herd," Glen summarized.

"Alright. The camp was a bust. No walkers outside, they were everywhere inside."

"Had a few close calls," Shane said quietly.

"So what do we think?"

"I say we try the storage unit," Shane said. "If there's all that space there, all those units full of things. Who knows what we'll find there."

Rick looked to the rest of the group who nodded their agreement. "Alright, we'll pack up and head out first thing in the morning."

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! I hit a little writer's block, then it was my son's birthday last week (the 12th) and mine was just this past weekend (the 19th) so we were busy celebrating. Hope you like this chapter! I'll try to get more Dean/Cas action in the next chapter, but I can't make any promises. These characters just get away from me sometimes. (In this chapter, Daryl was supposed to kill Ed but Carol started screaming at me until I changed it.) Review? ~JLL**


	10. Black and Gold

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

_**I look up into the night sky  
I see a thousand eyes staring back  
And all around these golden beacons  
I see nothing but black  
I feel the weight of something beyond them  
I don't see what I can feel  
If vision is the only validation  
Then most of my life isn't real**_

* * *

Carol sat on the front porch, staring out into the dark night. Normally, she wasn't on the rotation for watch but she'd asked Rick and he's agreed, albeit reluctantly. She just needed some time alone after the events from earlier.

Ed, her husband, her abuser, was gone. She had put him down for good. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. All the abuse and ridicule she had been subjected to for years, was finally over. She cried. Tears for her freedom, tears for her worries, tears for her lost love.

Now her tears were dry on her face. It was over, really over. She didn't have to live her life in fear anymore. Didn't have to worry what Ed might do to Sophia when she wasn't around.

Carol was so deep in thought she didn't notice Daryl sit down next to her and nearly jumped a foot in the air.

"For someone on watch you sure ain't paying too much attention," he said, with a bit of anger in his tone.

"Sorry," she said. "Just a lot on my mind."

"I could tell." He pointed to something.

Carol leaned forward and saw a dead walker on the ground about thirty feet away from the porch, an arrow still sticking out of its head. She started to cry again. "I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"What are you apologizing for?" he asked, half laughing.

"It could have gotten in the house, someone could have gotten hurt or killed."

"Yeah, you," he said. "It was comin' right for ya." His sharp tone stung.

She winced, knowing it was true.

"What the hell you even doing out here? You ain't ever took watch before."

Carol shrugged, turning her face away from him. "Just needed time away from the group."

Daryl's face seemed to soften. "How ya holdin' up?"

She shrugged again. "Honestly? I'm at peace. I know my husband is dead and I should be sad. And I do, I feel sad for the man he used to be that lost whatever war he was fighting." She paused, feeling tears form. "He wasn't always a bad man. The Ed I knew was charming, sensitive. Always wanted me to spend time with him instead of my friends. The dumb girl I was thought it was because he just couldn't stand to ever be away from me." Carol shook her head, staring at her feet.

"After we were married he kept me in the house all the time and all my friends forgot about me. Made their own lives and I didn't see them anymore.

"I remember the first night he hit me. There've been so many other times they all blend together but that first time I remember very clearly." She bit her lip, staring off into space. Daryl started to think the wasn't going to say anything else.

"Sophia was two weeks old," she said finally. "She had colic and most of the time I could get her to sleep. But I must gave eaten something that soured my breast milk so her tummy was upset as well as the colic.

"I was at my wit's end, trying to calm her. The rocking chair usually put her right out but this time it only seemed to make her crying worse. Ed was in our bedroom, trying to sleep. I was rocking her, trying my best to calm her and failing pretty bad. That feeling set in my bones, that I was failing at soothing my child and I started to cry too. I remember that feeling, I'll never forget it. Feeling like I was failing her already. So I did what any woman would do. I went to my husband for help.

"I wok him up and he screamed at me. 'I have to work in the morning, unlike you' and he backhanded me. The next day he bought me flowers and apologized. I wrote it off that time. I rationalized it, telling myself he was just as frustrated as I was. He was tired and had a bad moment when I woke him up. I was wrong. By the time Sophia was four, the hits came more often and the apologies were non-existent. I don't know if he was always abusive and just good at covering it up or if he was shaped into it over the years." She paused.

Daryl thought she was staring at her hands before he saw the glint of gold and realized it was her wedding ring she was gazing at.

"All I know is its over. The shackles and chains that kept me prisoner for over fifteen years have finally released me," she said evenly. She looked over at Daryl. "My husband is dead. I killed him. Does it make me a bad person to say I don't miss him?"

Daryl shook his head slowly. "Nah, you can't help who he was or what he done to ya. It's alright to be happy you're free." As an afterthought, he added, "And you didn't kill him either. Walker did. You just ended his suffering." He looked at her. "Ya did something good for him when he ain't done nothing but bad to you."

Carol gave him a small smile, fighting back tears. "I guess you're right. Thank you."

He shrugged and they both turned back to the front yard, keeping watch together.

* * *

Dean sat on the back steps silently staring into the woods. His eyes glanced over the mounds of dirt that were the final resting places of Ed Peletier and Dale Horvath. He still couldn't believe how things had unfolded because of one kid.

The sun would be coming up within the hour, turning the sky pink and creating shadows in the woods. He watched carefully, his hunter instincts kicking into overdrive. What he wouldn't give to be on some hunt right now. A vampire, ghoul, whatever. Anything that meant he wasn't in the middle of an apocalypse. This wasn't what he wanted to come out of purgatory for.

He listened closely to every sound, including the ones coming from inside. On the front porch, Rick was pacing. Quiet shuffling footsteps creating a consistent background noise for Dean.

Someone inside was stirring. The soft, deliberate footsteps gave him away instantly. Dean smiled a little

"Can't sleep?" he asked as the back door opened from behind him. He never turned his gaze from the woods.

"Angels don't sleep, Dean," Cas said, exasperated having told Dean this fact numerous times.

"I seem to remember you sleeping a time or two," the hunter retorted.

"Unique circumstances," Cas told him, though the man already knew this. He sat down, his elbow gently bumping Dean's. "Have you seen anything?"

Dean shook his head. "Just trees." He turned to look at the angel, stifling a laugh at the sight of him.

Carol had insisted on washing his coat and socks the best she could. His suit had been thrown out. But she'd dug up some clothes for him. Jeans and t-shirts mostly. Cas was currently dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of blue flannel pajamas. His hair was mussed up.

Dean smirked, nodding toward his hair. "Got bed head you know? Trying to blend in with us humans?"

Castiel turned his serious gaze to Dean, pinning the man with his piercing eyes.

"I'm doing what I can. This isn't easy for me, I'm not used to being around humans that are not aware of my true nature."

"I know," Dean said, unable to look away. Their gazed stayed locked a few seconds longer. The scraping of Rick's feet from the front porch brought Dean back to the present. He cleared his throat, looking back to the woods.

"I wish I knew why this was happening," Cas said, almost to himself. "I wish I had the strength to return to Heaven to find out for you. We could end it."

"Cas, maybe, we're not meant to stop it," Dean said. "I can't believe that the fate of the world would rest on our shoulders, at least, not again."

"You don't believe that," the angel said. "The human race was not meant to end this way. All this chaos, destruction, the killing, this isn't right."

"Cas, I've been fighting monsters all my life. I think we'll be okay. We can handle some zombies," Dean said, trying to keep his tone light but not liking where the angel was going.

"It's not these walkers you have to worry about, Dean. It's the people. They aren't monsters that bleed black or turn into something grotesque. They're real flesh and blood humans, just like you." Suddenly, he turned to Dean. "You must promise me that you and Sam will hold on to your humanity."

"Cas, I'll be fine," Dean said, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's not you I'm worried about." The angel looked away.

Dean felt a flash of anger. "You're worried about Sam?"

"Fight the dead, fear the living," Cas said, avoiding the question. "When stability is ripped away, mankind plunges into madness. These people will turn into monsters."

"Not Sam. Not me, not you, not Rick, not any of them. We're the good ones."

"You're wrong about them."

Dean paused and thought about it. "Shane?"

"He has a darkness around him. I believe he has already killed someone."

Dean sat in silence. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Cas glanced at the hunter from the corner of his eye. "He should be dealt with."

"You were just sitting here preaching about keeping my humanity and then turn around and say something like that!" Dean snapped, trying to keep his voice down.

"I didn't mean you," Cas said, giving him a knowing look.

"Not you, either, we can't go around killing people without a good reason. Sure, the guy is a loose cannon and you think he might have killed someone but that doesn't mean he deserves to die. And I won't let you do it without good reason." He turned away angrily.

Cas smiled a little. "I respect your decision. But if he threatens you or anyone in this group, I will be forced to deal with him."

Dean couldn't argue any longer. They had so much more to talk about but it would have to wait. Carol was making her way into the kitchen to start breakfast.

"Are we all going to die?" Dean asked quietly.

It took Cas so long to respond Dean thought he never would. "I don't know. Maybe."

"How many people do you think are still alive?"

"It depends how far this has spread. What kind of warning there was for further countries. Certainly there's several million left."

"On the whole planet?!"

"At least, yes."

Dean's head spun. There were millions of people in any given state. He couldn't imagine only a few million left in the world.

"Can we fix it? Or stop it? Something?"

Cas shrugged. "We need to focus on finding the prophet. If Crowley is behind this we can stop it. We can shut the gates of hell and go from there. It will be a wise idea to bring Bela along as well."

"Maggie," Dean corrected.

The angel smiled at him. "Yes, Maggie."

"We can't put her in danger like that," Dean protested.

"She is in danger no matter where she is, Dean. She has the same knowledge of the supernatural as we do and would be an addition to the team."

Dean smiled. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. How are we going to find Kevin? Not like you can just zap over to him."

"I'm building my strength up so I may be able to soon enough, though there's no promise I can return immediately. In the meantime, we try a spell."

"That'll help us find him, not get to him. He's probably on the run like we are. He won't stay in one spot for long."

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it," Cas said with a smile, throwing Dean's words back at him. "First we find Kevin."

"Alright. Find Kevin. Easier said than done."

* * *

"_Good mornin', good mornin' to you_," Carol sang. "_We've talked the whole night through, good morning, good morning to you_." She tapped Sophia's nose, causing the girl to laugh. Carol smiled at her daughter. "Ready to get up? I've made breakfast."

Sophia sat up, yawning. "Yeah." She followed her mother into the kitchen, purposefully keeping her gaze on her mother's back. She wasn't ready to look at the group.

_My daddy is dead_, she thought suddenly. There were no tears now, having cried herself out the night before.

Carol distributed the food evenly, handing out plates to everyone. Daryl had been on the porch talking to Rick. He came into the kitchen when Carol had her back turned, noticing she had put more food on his plate than anyone else's. He slid some of his eggs onto Carol's own untouched plate. Giving a wink to Sophia, he gave the girl his slice of bread and slipped out of the kitchen.

Sophia smiled when her mother noticed the extra helping of eggs. Then she left the kitchen, nibbling on Daryl's bread. She paused at the open back door.

Sam, Dean and Castiel were sitting at the bottom of the steps engaged in a discussion. She watched them without being noticed. Castiel still had a full plate in his hands. He handed it to Dean, who took it without a word. Sophia watched him eat only a few bites before giving it to his brother, who finished it off. Sophia smiled again, admiring the way they took care of each other. It seemed to her it was a miracle they were all together.

"Sophia," Carl called from the living room. "Come play!"

She hesitated, still upset with him over his actions the previous day.

Castiel looked up at her and the girl found herself frozen under his gaze until he looked away, back to Dean. Sophia shook herself, then turned to go into the living room.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, it's been a while. Hi! Hope you're still with me. I know this was mostly dialogue, but hopefully it cleared some things up and we have some idea of where everyone stands. Let me know how it was.**

**~JLL**


	11. All the Things You Know

**Disclaimer: Do not own.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven- All the Things You Know**

"_**One time it's clear to you**_

_**All the things you know**_

_**He even reminds me of a kid we used to know"**_

* * *

A week had passed by and the group had settled into the storage units; Castiel and the Winchesters sharing one. The Grimes family had another, Carol and Sophia had their own space next to Shane, Andrea and Daryl. Glenn and Maggie claimed their own unit, much to Hershel's distaste. The farmer was sharing with his youngest daughter.

Everyone had spent the better part of the week clearing units and scavenging for anything useful. Shane and Glenn had been looking for another place to stay.

"It's temporary," Rick promised when they arrived, noticing everyone's skeptic gazes. "It's convenient for now but we'll be looking for something else, more permanent." His eyes flicked to Lori's stomach, mindful of the baby growing in there, the baby that needed a safe place to be born. Lori cried to Carol about feeling like a burden, Rick always taking the extra precaution for her. She hated it and Carol couldn't figure out why.

She found herself trying to bond with Andrea, since Lori didn't like Andrea it kept her from coming to Carol to complain. Also, Carol admired Andrea in several ways. The blonde was strong, independent and somewhat intimidating. She had lost her sister, almost killed herself and came back stronger and more determined to fight than ever. Carol thought she could learn a few things from her.

At that moment, the women were sorting through an enormous amount of clothes they had found.

"So," Carol started. "What's with you and Sam?"

Andrea smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about." Carol gave her a look and her smile widened, genuine happiness crossing her features. "I like him, he's so shy though. He's always around his brother. I can barely get him alone here."

Carol laughed. "If you want, I can get Sophia to distract Dean and Castiel and you can get Sam alone." She gave the blonde a suggestive wink.

Andrea tossed a pair of socks at her. "Yeah, and while you're at it, you and Daryl can sneak off to a dark corner."

"Daryl?" Carol snorted. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"I see the looks you give each other," Andrea teased.

"Andrea, my husband died a week ago," she said, suddenly serious. "I know he was abusive and an asshole but he wasn't always like that and I did love him."

"I know," the blonde said. "You haven't seemed to let that bother you though."

"I can't just stop or break down. Sophia needs me."

"Time seems to move so differently now. A year ago, if someone's husband died there would be a funeral and a real grieving period," Andrea said. "Now it's like…I don't know. Just another casualty. Another one bites the dust."

"I know what you mean." Carol looked at her lap as the girls fell silent.

"Daryl does like you," Andrea said.

"Andrea," Carol warned, fighting a smile.

"I'm just telling you. You don't see the way he watches you, he comes back from a hunt or supply run and his eyes immediately search out you and Sophia. And I've taken watch with him several times. Before he goes into our unit, he stops outside yours to check on you. He does care for you." And that was all she had to say on the subject.

Carol was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of an engine approaching. She tensed.

"Sounds like Rick and the boys are back," Andrea said, tossing a t-shirt into the corner that was the men's pile of clothing.

Rick had gone into town with Glenn and Sam to find supplies. Maggie went along to search for baby supplies. Andrea had been a little bitter when Rick asked Maggie to go, though she knew Glenn had probably suggested it.

The car came to a sudden stop outside, brakes squealing. The women looked at each other, knowing something wasn't right. Their fears were confirmed when Rick's voice hit their ears, screaming, "Hershel!"

Both women jumped up and sprinted towards the group.

Glenn was being held up by Maggie and Rick, bleeding from his abdominal area.

"What's going on?" Lori asked, stepping into the sunlight.

"I don't know," Carol said. She moved to help Hershel set up a table for Glenn and followed his instructions to get him cleaned up.

Sam had climbed out of the back seat almost unnoticed due to the flurry of action around Glenn. Andrea checked him over, sighing in relief when she realized he wasn't injured.

"Who the hell is that?!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Long story," Sam answered as he moved to get the man out of the back seat. Andrea moved to help him.

"Sammy?" Dean called, coming from the woods with Daryl. They quickened their pace to catch up. "What happened? And who is that?"

Sam and Andrea put the boy on a pile of blankets and the hunter turned to the group that now included Dean, Andrea, Daryl, Shane, Lori, Castiel, Beth, Carl and Sophia.

"Glenn and Maggie went into the baby store to see what they could pick out for Lori," Sam started. "Rick and I went into a pharmacy. These two guys came in, started asking us where we were holed up, could they tag along. Rick told them no, it was crowded enough. They pulled guns on us and we fired back.

"Next thing we know, Maggie is screaming outside. We ran out and find some guy trying to pull her into this bug SUV. This kid," he motioned to the unconscious boy behind them. "Was behind the wheel and we didn't even see him. We took down the guy holding Maggie and we started back to our car. This kid jumps out of the SUV and comes after Rick. Glenn saw him first and tried to stop him, he got stabbed in the stomach."

The group stood listening, most of them in shock.

"They say where they were staying at?" Shane asked, breaking the stunned silence. Sam shook his head. "Well, we need to find out. They might have supplies we need."

"How are you going to find out?" Lori asked. "You think he's just going to tell you where their camp is?"

"I'll find out," was all he said before walking away.

Castiel gave Dean a pointed look that went unnoticed by everyone but Sam. In the end, the boy was handcuffed and guarded by Sam until Rick decided what they should do about him.

* * *

Rick gathered everyone outside to give them the options.

"His camp has forty men," he said flatly. "He claims they have weapons, machine guns."

"So what do we do?" Lori asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Get rid of him," Shane stated.

"You mean kill him," Carol spoke from her spot next to Andrea.

"Alright, say we let him go. He finds his way back to his group and tells them where we are. Our boys end up dead and our women will wish they were. Or we nip this threat in the bud." Shane looked around, studying the expressions of everyone in the group.

"He's a human being," Carol said. "We can't just kill him."

"So you'd rather spend the rest of your life getting beaten and raped?" Shane asked incredulously. He threw his hands up. "Look who I'm talking to, you're used to it. Hell it's all you probably know."

Rick stepped forward and shoved the man back. "That's enough!"

Andrea slipped and arm around Carol's waist, glaring at Shane.

Shane continued to yell while Rick tried to calm him down, to no avail.

"Alright!" Dean suddenly yelled. "Kill him."

Carol recoiled. "Dean," she started.

He shook his head at her. "It's either he lives and we die, or worse. Or we kill him and move on. It's our safety we have to think about." He looked at Cas. "What's that Bible verse about the good of the many?"

"The good of many over the good of one," Cas answered. "But Dean, I don't think-"

"That's the one. That settles it for me," Dean said, interrupting Cas, who looked used to it.

The group looked around at eat other. Rick could tell by most of their expressions that they were in agreement with Dean.

"We can decide later," he said finally. "Let's get some dinner, calm down and talk about it more calmly." He shot a glare at Shane, who only ignored him.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a shot right now," Dean said, suddenly appearing on Rick's left.

He nodded his agreement. "No kidding,"

Dean stared at him closely. "You know, I think the group has pretty much made up their minds about this Randall kid." He paused.

"Yeah," Rick agreed.

"I'll do it, if you need me to. Just say the word." He was facing the setting sun so Rick couldn't read his expression. He felt a great sense of relief wash over him. Though he'd never admit it, he had been dreading the actual act. To appear a strong and fearless leader, he needed to face every obstacle with his chin high and shoulders squared.

"Thank you," he finally said, not knowing what else to say.

Dean nodded and wandered off to join his brother and Castiel.

Rick turned to find Lori glaring at him. She shook her head when he started toward her, then she turned and walked away. Rick sighed, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He covered his face with his hands. There was so much on his mind; he just needed someone to talk to. His own wife would only judge him and fault him. Then Rick blinked and his hands returned to his side. He drew a deep breath, trying to gather all the courage he could and went into the storage unit Glenn was in.

Carol started dinner with Maggie's help; the older woman forcing her to help to get her mind off Glenn. He was sewn up and resting peacefully in their shared unit, but he hadn't woken up yet. Rick was waiting to ask his opinion before deciding what to do with Randall.

* * *

Castiel was sitting with his back against the wall, Sam across from him when Dean came in.

"Hey," Sam said. "Glenn awake yet?"

Dean shook his head. Cas spoke up. "You can't let them kill that boy."

"Cas," Dean sighed, sitting next to the angel. "I already said my piece on this. It's us or him and I choose us."

"The boy could be of use to the group, he could help you. He may be innocent and if you kill him in cold blood you're no better than the group he came from," Cas said.

"What happened to you? You used to be all about the greater good. If I remember correctly you were going to kill that demon boy without a second thought," Dean countered.

"That was different."

"No, it isn't. He turned out to be good after Sam talked to him."

"And we know what kind of group Randall came from," Sam added. "In town, he was helping kidnap Maggie. We don't know what else he's done, why take that chance?"

Castiel sat quietly for a moment. "You need to hold on to your humanity. This isn't the way to do it."

"There's no way around it," Dean shot back.

The angel shook his head, finally giving in.

Sam spoke up then. "Any idea how to find Kevin?"

"There's a spell you can perform to find him," Cas said robotically. "Find him and we can begin making plans to get to him."

They were interrupted by the sound of raised voices. The trio stood up and went outside, finding Rick and Shane mid-argument. Andrea and Lori coming out just ahead of them.

"What's happening?" Lori asked, looking between the men.

Shane ignored her. "This kid could be the death of all of us. Lori, Carl, Sophia, all of them could die if he gets back to his group. Your plan of letting him go, eighteen miles out ain't gonna work."

"It will," Rick hissed.

"Rick, it ain't like it was before-"

"And so we just kill him?" Carol cut in, once again taking up for the boy. "For something he may never do, how could you live with yourself?"

"I'm taking care of this group!" Shane yelled at her, inches away from her face. "I'm thinking about what's good for us, what will keep us alive. Not Rick!"

"Shane, enough!" Lori yelled.

He spun around, facing her. "Don't you yell at me, girl, not you."

"You're insane," she spat.

"Everybody, just calm down," Rick said, holding his hands out.

"No, I can't just calm down," Shane shot back. "You're gonna get this group killed. The CDC was your call, look how that turned out. You wanted to try to go west, we ended up on the highway and lost Sophia. Weren't for our newcomers we would have never found her because we were too busy doing farm work on a farm we never should have been on! Every call you've made so far has been nothing but bad news. Our people are dying. Dale, Patricia, Jimmy, Ed, T-Dog, all of their blood on your hands."

Rick lunged forward, slamming his fist into Shane's cheek. The next few seconds were a flurry of fists flying, women screaming and men trying to pull them apart. Sam wrestled Rick away and Dean pulled Shane out of his reach. The two men glared at each other. Lori looked between them, eyes shining with tears.

"It's on you," Shane rasped. "It's all on you."

Dean gave him a hard shove and the other man stormed away. Lori stared after him, then looked at Rick, unsure what to do. She finally turned and went inside without a word.

Rick watched her go, hanging his head.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no, what's Rick going to do? And are the boys ever going to find Kevin and complete their mission? Next time: More drama. (Who didn't see that coming?)**

**~JLL**


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